Rivaling Affections
by Digitallace
Summary: D/H Slash- Harry is coerced into offering Draco a job and bringing him into his home. When Harry finds himself warming to his childhood rival, does Draco return his feelings, or will he continue to resist until Harry gives up?
1. Lectures

Authors Note: I'm back! Yay! And to commemorate my return, I'm posting the first chapter of my new story. Thanks to everyone who sent reviews on all the new chapters I posted last week before I left. You have no idea how much they all mean to me. Thanks to my beta Alexandra, who has added another of my stories to her long beta list ;)

Chapter 1 Lectures

The smell of bacon wafted through Harry's cottage as he prepared a breakfast for three. The sound of the back door drew his attention away from the pan. "Andromeda?" he called.

The woman came around the corner a moment later, her sleek black hair falling in curls around her face and he pale ivory gown blending in with her skin. "Harry dear, this bacon is much too underdone. You know I prefer mine nearly burnt," she said with a frown.

"That would be Teddy's plate," Harry said. "Yours is still in the pan," he added before she could ask.

"And where is Teddy? It's almost nine," she asked.

"I let him sleep a bit longer than usual. I caught him up late last night playing video games," Harry muttered in amusement and braced himself for Andromeda's lecture.

"Harry, you shouldn't reward the boy with extra sleep, you should make him wake up and realize why he shouldn't have stayed up in the first place," she said.

"I took the games away, I thought that would be better than having a cranky zombie child wandering the house today," he said with a smile.

"Zombie?" she asked, her eyebrow rose slightly in confusion.

"Er… inferi," he amended.

"Ah, yes. He is quite like the walking dead when he does that isn't he?" she asked. "And quite the terror for that matter," she muttered.

Harry laughed. "He'll be a teenager soon, he's bound to press on both of our nerves."

Andromeda shuddered slightly at the thought. She and Teddy had come to live with Harry only four years before. Andromeda had a small separate cottage behind his own, and Teddy slept in the room across the hall from Harry.

He had been happy since they arrived, and hadn't even realized how lonely he was before that. His relationship fizzled quite abruptly with Ginny when she left him at the altar and married Neville instead. Hermione and Ron were married the year after and had two children of their own, so they were far too busy to spend lots of time with Harry.

He had lived in London for a couple years, and then eventually found a nice quiet cottage in Hogsmeade when he took on the Defense Professorship at Hogwarts. His only stipulation was that he not have to live on school grounds, and Minerva had agreed, placing the same protection wards over his house that were on the school and creating a direct connection with the fireplace in his study to the one in his office at the school.

No one aside from the Headmistress, and his roommates of course, even knew Harry didn't live in the castle with the rest of the professors.

Harry served up the nearly black bacon and handed the plate, which also contained eggs and toast, to Andromeda. "He'll be going to Hogwarts this year, so you'll have more time to yourself," Harry responded to her shudder.

"You know I don't mind Teddy. I just vividly recall Nymphadora in her teens. She was a nightmare, very stubborn and very resistant to anything I said," she laughed.

Harry listened intently. Andromeda didn't speak of her late daughter often, and when she did Harry was like a small boy being read a bedtime story. He loved hearing stories about any of his friends and family from before he knew them.

"I recall the first time she refused to answer to Nymphadora," she mused. "She was thirteen and a boy at school had made fun of the name, so from then on she would only answer me if I called her Tonks. She was such a bratty little thing," she said with a wistful smile.

Harry had first been offended by the way Andromeda spoke of her daughter, but eventually learned that it was just her way. She loved the girl without a doubt, and you could tell by the way she treated Teddy that she missed her dearly.

Teddy padded groggily into the kitchen, his hair shifting from heavy black to pale blue and then to a dusty auburn within a span of five minutes. He had recently learned to control some of his shifting abilities, a trait he had inherited from his mother, and refused to stop using them since.

When he saw the bacon on his plate he changed his nose to that of a pig and Andromeda frowned. "You know Teddy, you should stop making faces like that or else your face might just stick that way," she said casually.

"Nuh uh," he protested, but then shot a quick questioning look at Harry.

"It's true. I once saw your mother look like a bird for a week," he fibbed with a smile.

Teddy looked horrified and immediately changed his nose back, missing the wink that Harry sent to Andromeda.

"So, have you had any luck finding a new Potions Master?" Andromeda asked.

"No," Harry grumbled. "Slughorn has already left and we only have a few weeks left before lessons start. I don't even know who would substitute if we don't find someone before then."

"Have you thought about Draco?" she asked with a subtle smirk, one that always tended to remind him of Malfoy's in fact.

"What? No? Why would I think about _him_?" Harry protested quickly.

Andromeda chuckled silently and shook her head. "I meant for the position. He's brilliant at potions, and has lots of experience now that he's been working for the Ministry all these years."

Harry sighed. "You sound like McGonagall. Sometimes I think you have tea in secret with her behind my back and exchange information," he grumbled.

"Not tea, no. Only the occasional lunch," she said with a wink and Harry groaned.

"Either way, I have no intention of bringing the ferret – no offense – to work here with me. That would just be too volatile a situation," he added politely.

"Don't you think it would be nice to have someone beside myself and a ten year old to talk to?" she asked.

"I'm almost eleven," Teddy exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's almost eleven," Harry said with a smile. "Plus I have plenty of people to talk to. McGonagall, Trelawney, Hagrid…" his voice trailed off as Andromeda laughed.

"Anyone your age, dear?" she asked.

"Ron and Hermione," he stated quickly and more curtly than he had intended.

"They haven't been over here in almost a year, and you rarely find time to go and see them either," she said.

"Even if I were to offer Malfoy the position of Professor – which I'm not – it doesn't mean we'll be friends," he said matter-of-factly.

"That's true. So why not offer him the job?" she asked innocently.

"He's Malfoy. I'm not going to do it," he stated firmly.

--

"You will do this, Harry," McGonagall stated, using her best schoolmarm glare.

Harry huffed and sat back in his chair. "You can't _make_ me do it, you know." he answered petulantly.

She narrowed her eyes at him and glared balefully through her tiny spectacles. "I most certainly can. Do not think for a moment that you, Mr. Potter, are in control of this school or staff."

"That's not what I meant," Harry said defensively, but knew he had already fallen for her trap. Minerva knew him well enough to know that he would never desire the Headmastership, which is why she gave him the deputy headmaster position. She had told him that all the best Headmasters, including Dumbledore, had done such a good job because they never felt they deserved the title, so they spent their entire lives trying to.

"Then you shall go without question or complaint," she stated firmly.

Harry huffed again and unrolled the parchment that had the Malfoy's floo address written in tiny scrolling handwriting that he knew to be other than McGonagall's. She had dreadful handwriting. "Narcissa?" he inquired and she nodded.

"She'll be expecting you later today. She was quite surprised to hear that you would be calling on her son, and very pleased I might add. She seems to like you," she mused.

"I can't imagine why," Harry muttered.

He knew exactly why she liked him. Harry had personally testified in front of the Wizengamot in order to free Draco from Azkaban. He and his father had been thrown in immediately without even standing trial and that rankled with Harry. It was the only time he had used his celebrity on purpose and it worked out well enough. There wasn't much he could do for Lucius outside of making sure he was more comfortable in his cell and had a set of friendlier guards. He was a full-blown Death Eater after all, and no matter how much the man seemed to regret following Voldemort, he had done awful things.

Draco however was released immediately and Narcissa had come to Harry and thanked him personally afterward. Harry only requested that she not tell Draco what he did. She had seemed confused by the request, but agreed nonetheless.

Harry didn't want the boy feeling indebted to him, as he knew pureblood families were likely to do. He didn't need Draco pestering him or sulking that he owed him anything. It was just better for all parties involved if Draco had no idea why he was released.

"Fine. I'll go, but it's against my better judgment," Harry said stiffly.

"Duly noted," McGonagall said with a wry grin and dismissed him from her office.

Authors Note: Please review and let me know what you think of this new fic!


	2. An Excess of Surprises

Authors Note: I am so excited about the instant feedback for this new story! 35 reviews for one chapter! I have the best readers ever! So, as with most of my stories I have made a title header for this one as well. You can find it at my website or my livejournal. Many thanks to my beta Alexandra, who as with all of my stories, used her magic on this one.

Chapter 2 An Excess of Surprises

Harry had never seen such an opulent home as Malfoy Manor. The last time he had been there, his eyesight was far too bad and he mostly only saw the basement, at any rate. Why a family of only three people needed a home the size of an entire wing of the Ministry was beyond him. It seemed stupidly excessive to Harry, though he was sure that his cottage would seem like a hovel to the Malfoy's.

The floors were covered in a sparkling white marble that continued partway up the wall only to stop at heavily contrasting deep green brocade wallpaper. In various points along the wall were large white columns with green and black lines veining through the smooth surface. The fireplace he had just exited took up an entire wall, and looked like it could have easily received a whole Quidditch team at once.

Narcissa glided into the room and bowed gently. "Mr. Potter, how good of you to grace our humble home," she said sweetly.

Harry tried to stifle a laugh at her phrasing, but didn't quite manage. "Your home is far from humble, Mrs. Malfoy," he replied. "I was just marveling at the… abundance of it."

A subtle smile curled at the edge of her lips and she laughed lightly, a small tinkling sound. "It's true, the home is far too large for us, but at one point, the Malfoy family was quite large, over twenty people lived in this home at once only a generation ago. It's a lonely place now, and will be even more so if you succeed on your mission," she said, a frown tingeing her previous smile.

"My mission?" Harry asked. He hadn't been aware that McGonagall had notified Mrs. Malfoy of the reason for his visit.

"Don't be coy with me, Mr. Potter. I am well aware of the school's lack of a potions professor at the moment, and I am equally aware that Draco is more than excellent in that particular subject. Though I dare say you have quite a challenge in front of you if you intend to pull him from the manor," she said with a laugh.

She had already laced her arm through Harry's and was pulling him gently through the receiving hall and up a grand wide staircase. There were large wizarding paintings lining the walls with various Malfoy ancestors glaring at Harry balefully.

Most of them looked as he had expected, pale skin, fair hair and pointed features. Though as he ventured further down the hall, the hair grew darker and so did the skin. The faces stayed just as sharp however.

They passed a painting of a wiry man with a curled black mustache and fuzzy black eyebrows. The man huffed at Harry and spouted quick French that he could not understand, but based on the spitting tone of the words, he could guess that it wasn't welcoming or friendly.

"Don't pay him any mind," Narcissa said lightly. "Felix isn't even nice to our pureblood guests."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Harry muttered, shooting a glare at the portrait.

Harry felt as though his legs would fall off by the time Narcissa finally came to a stop outside a large set of ivory double doors. She knocked lightly and waited.

After several moments they opened to reveal a man that Harry for a moment mistook for Lucius. He was lithe and fit and taller than Harry, with his long blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck.

His sharply pointed nose was raised just slightly, looking down at Harry with a haughtiness that he remembered all too well, and Harry inwardly groaned, steeling himself from walking away. He would make Minerva pay later for sending him as her messenger.

"Potter," he said, his tone offering no pleasure at his presence.

"Malfoy," Harry said, with an air of indifference. He had perfected his ability to read people after the war, and usually knew exactly how to deal with them, Malfoy it seemed, still rankled him though.

Narcissa shot her son a warning glance and the door swung open hesitantly and Draco motioned for Harry to come in. Harry nodded briefly to Mrs. Malfoy and walked into the large gilded cage that was Malfoy's room.

Everything in the room was a pale shade of ivory with rubbed gold accents. The curtains on all the windows – and there were eight of them in the sitting room alone – were a burnished golden billowy silk. The room they were in seemed to just be a sitting area, with a sofa and two armchairs, all in ancient and expensive looking French furnishing.

There were several doors leading from the room and one giant archway on the far end of the room, through which Harry could see a vast library that would even put Hermione's to shame. He imagined at least one of the doors led to a bedroom, which Harry suddenly was curious to see.

He shook the offending thought from his head immediately and set his stern glare on Malfoy. "I'm sure you're aware of the reason for my visit?" he asked, avoiding small talk and pretense.

Draco laughed and sat in the nearest armchair. "Blunt as always I see, I suppose some things never really change."

Harry sighed slightly and remained standing. "I thought you'd like to get me out of your way as soon as possible," he answered.

Draco shrugged. "That much is true at least."

A faint pop sounded and a moment later a small house elf appeared carrying an oversized silver platter with tea and biscuits. "Sit, Potter. It's rude to stand there like that while I'm offering tea."

"You hadn't actually offered," Harry replied with a raised eyebrow, not moving a muscle to obey Draco's request.

Draco's lips curved into a gentle smirk. "True, please Potter, sit and have tea with me," he said, gesturing to the sofa beside him and the platted on the coffee table.

Ignoring Draco's suggested seat, Harry instead sat in the armchair opposite him, the furthest place he could be from Draco. He could tell it was with great effort that Draco did not roll his eyes and that made Harry smile.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You. You're actually attempting to be civil," Harry replied with a laugh.

"And clearly you're not, which doesn't surprise me. I'm sure a hero such as yourself never needs to use common courtesy," Malfoy drawled.

Harry winced at the term 'hero' but didn't correct him. In truth he was being rude and should curb his behavior to that of a proper representative of Hogwarts. "I'm sorry, Malfoy. You're right, I'm being rude. How about we begin again? It's good to see you, Malfoy. It's been awhile," he said lightly, as if he were talking to Ron or Hermione.

His sparkling gray eyes widened slightly and his lips parted in a small gasp. He quickly regained his composure however and bowed his head so quickly that Harry was sure he had imagined taking Draco off guard to begin with. "It's good to see you as well. Though, I feel like I've seen quite a bit of you lately," he replied with a smirk.

"How do you mean?" Harry asked with a dark black eyebrow raised in confusion. He couldn't recall having even seen Draco in passing since Harry attended his trial some eight plus years back.

Draco laughed lightly. "Hadn't you realized you were Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor this year?" he asked, knowing full well he couldn't have missed it even if Potter currently lived in a cave, which was hardly likely.

"Oh, that," he mumbled. "Yeah, that was a decent lesson in embarrassment. I had to increase my wards to keep people out of my home. I had random witches sneaking in at night, it was horrid," he said with a shudder.

"Poor, Potter," Draco replied sarcastically.

"I mean, I couldn't possibly still warrant this kind of publicity? It's been more than ten years!" he exclaimed as if Draco hadn't said a word.

A perplexed look crossed over Draco's face. "I'm sure you love the attention, Potter. No need to put up a façade here," he added. He desperately wished to prove his theory about the fame seeking Harry Potter true, wanted him to have the flaw, because as of this point, he could see no other.

Harry rolled his eyes and picked up his tea, cringing at the bitterness, and added more sugar, nearly laughing at Draco's disgusted face. "I like it sweet," he informed him.

"Obviously you also like teeth rot," Draco replied.

"I was under the impression that it was improper to insult a guest," Harry said, lifting his teacup to his mouth to hide his grin.

"I'm sure you've read several books on etiquette, Potter, still you're not entirely wrong. I'll try to behave," he added with a smirk that said otherwise.

"Perhaps it would be better if I just got on with the proposal and got out of your hair?" he asked.

Draco shrugged. "If you like."

"As I'm sure you're aware, Slughorn has retired," he began, "and so we are in need of a Potions Professor. It's been suggested that we should offer the position to you," he finished.

Draco laughed. "I had hopes that perhaps you had a reasonable request in mind when you arrived."

Harry frowned. "It's a perfectly reasonable request, Malfoy. If you don't want the position, I have plenty of others who do."

"Then why even offer it to me in the first place? You obviously can't stand me and you couldn't possibly think that the parents of those in Hogwarts would agree to an ex Death Eater teaching their students," he scoffed.

"Does the name Snape ring a bell? It should since he was your pet," Harry said, satisfied at Draco's look of chagrin. "As for me not being able to stand you, that's merely speculation on your part. For all you know I could be harboring secret desires for your pretty pale flesh," he lied smoothly.

He had to stifle a laugh at Draco's flustered reaction, but the blonde hadn't said a word to rebuke his inappropriate words. He filed that tidbit of information away for later pondering.

"As for the reason we're offering it to you first, that's because of a personal recommendation that I hold in high regard," he finished, having answered all of Draco's obligatory questions.

"Whose?" Draco asked at once.

"Andromeda Tonks," Harry replied easily.

"My aunt? Why would she suggest me?" he asked, more to himself than to Harry.

"Perhaps she wants to get to know you better?" Harry speculated.

"And how would my being at the school achieve that?" he scoffed.

Harry smiled innocently. "She probably hopes we'll be come friends. She's a tad manipulative that way."

"Again I ask, how would that help _her_ get to know _me_?" he asked.

Harry shrugged lightly. "Maybe because she lives with me?"

"She what? How could you possibly have a Black living at your home?" he demanded.

Harry rolled his eyes. "She's the mother of a dear old friend, and I'm the godfather to her grandson, Teddy. We've had an arrangement of sorts for several years now," he said.

"You… are you sleeping with my Aunt?" Draco shouted.

"Merlin, no!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm not even straight," he blurted unintentionally. It was probably the worst thing he could have said in front of Malfoy. He had been nothing but lucky that the papers and magazines hadn't found out yet, which was the only reason he gave the okay to Witch Weekly to run the article they did. He didn't wish to appear too suspicious.

"You're kidding me? The hero of the wizarding world, Voldemort's Bane likes men?" Draco asked, wide-eyed.

Harry sighed. "Look, I'd prefer it if you didn't blab that everywhere, Malfoy," he said, knowing full well he was wasting his breath.

"I wouldn't," Draco said quickly.

"Why not?" Harry asked tentatively, slightly taken aback by the swift and decent answer.

"I am too," he muttered.

Harry frowned. "I don't suppose Andromeda would know this?"

Draco nodded, understanding his meaning at once. "Yes, she would, and this is precisely the kind of thing she would do," he added.

Harry shrugged. "Well, it's easy enough to remedy. I'll just tell them you said no, and we can go about our happy and separate ways," he said, getting up and offering his hand to Draco.

He looked at Harry's extended hand a bit skeptically. "What if I want to teach?"

Harry nearly fell over with surprise. "You… want to? Even after…"

"Just because I'm a professor there, doesn't mean we even have to see other, let alone be friends. Plus the change of pace is exactly what I need right now," he said.

"You realize this means you'll have to be nice, to students, other professor? Even me," Harry added with a smirk.

"Does the name Snape ring a bell?" he asked, throwing Harry's previous words back at him.

Harry sighed dramatically. "If it's what you want, I'll let McGonagall know and she can contact you with the details," he said with a heavy heart. His Malfoy free world had been so lovely, he hated to watch it all crumble around him.

"Perfect. I meant it you know. Just because I'm working there, doesn't mean anything between us needs to change," he said quickly, noticing Harry's mood. "I'm not attracted to you in the least," he added.

"Gee, thanks," Harry muttered and walked to the door. So what if he wasn't attracted to Draco either, he was at least tactful enough to omit that information from their conversation.

"I suppose we'll be seeing each other soon," Harry said grudgingly, as he left Malfoy's suite of rooms.

It took him almost an hour to find his way out of the ornate maze that was Malfoy Manor. He did eventually find the receiving hall and the oversized fireplace and flooed back to his cozy home, wishing all the while that Malfoy had refused the offer.

--

Authors Note: the plot thickens. Please review!


	3. Home is Where the Malfoy Is

Authors Note: Many thanks to Alexandra for her beta skills. A fun new twist in the story. I'm having lots of fun with this one so I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 3 Home is where the Malfoy is

"You called, Minerva?" Harry asked as he walked into the Headmistress's office. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Draco sitting across from her, but he composed himself quickly enough that he was fairly certain no one would notice.

"Malfoy," he said with a quick nod in the Slytherin's direction.

"Potter," he responded likewise.

"Harry, I was just trying to make living arrangements with Mr. Malfoy and wondered if I might ask you a favor?" she asked demurely.

Harry groaned silently. Whenever she asked if she could ask Harry for something, it tended not to bode well. "Yes, of course, Minerva, ask away."

"Well, I was wondering if Draco could stay with you," she said frankly.

Harry shook his head as if to clear his ears. "Pardon?"

"Draco doesn't like the idea of sleeping in the dank dungeon quarters, and I can't blame him, so I was wondering if you could put him up," she added.

"Why don't you just create the same passage for the Manor that you do with me?" Harry asked.

"Well, for one it's too far, and for another Narcissa is adamantly against us tampering with the Manor wards," she replied briskly.

"And you're okay with this?" he asked, turning to face Draco directly.

He only shrugged lightly. "It would only be temporary until I finish having a place of my own built," he said. "I have no interest in staying at whatever hovel you probably call home for an extended period of time," Draco added testily.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You really want me to have to put up with that, not only here, but at home as well?" he growled at McGonagall.

She smiled sweetly and shook her head. "I'm sure Draco would stay out of your way, Harry."

"I would," he promised with a sneer.

"Fine," Harry said before storming out of the office. It was too much for Minerva to ask of him, but he would do it. It was only temporary and surely he could put up with Draco for a short time. Plus it would be nice for Andromeda and Teddy to get to see their family.

He flew swiftly down the stairs and down the corridor leading away from her office as he stewed. A panting breath came up behind him and a pale hand clamped down on his shoulder. Harry shuddered at the touch and moved away, glaring at Malfoy. "What?"

"I suppose you just want me to wander all over Hogsmeade looking for your house?" Draco scoffed.

The idea of Draco knocking on every door until he got to Harry's made him grin widely. "It would be very entertaining, yes," he answered and began to walk away.

Draco groaned behind him and strode quickly to catch up. "Could you just show me where it is and then I'll be out of your hair for the rest of the day?"

Harry rubbed his hand lazily across his stubbly chin and pretended to ponder the request. "Make it a year and you're on," he said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't very well promise not to see you again for an entire year. I'm working and living with you," he stated snidely.

A shudder ran down his spine again at Draco's words. He was about to be living with Draco, another gay man, whom part of him was attracted to. Not the logical part, but the part that hadn't had sex in a while.

"Come on then," he said at last, and quite grudgingly. Sleeping in a room across from Malfoy was not going to be easy if he didn't quiet his mind.

--

Draco was surprised by Harry's home, and he wasn't a man that was surprised very often.

He hadn't really known exactly what to expect when he imagined Potter's house, and he had been purely mocking him when he referred to it as a hovel. Draco assumed that someone with Harry's wealth and clout would flaunt it to the rest of the world. He had imagined some giant sprawling manor house for the war hero, not this beautiful cottage, nestled at the end of a quiet lane.

The walls were mostly cobblestone, with old redwood beams accenting the wall edges and the windows. There was brilliant green ivy growing up one side of the home, cut away to reveal leaded glass multi-paned windows.

The front yard was a beautiful garden made of low growing flowers and a spattering a fruit trees. An iron and stone fence surrounded the home, which was actually quite large despite Draco's initial impression. Harry led him up a stone path that weaved through the flowers and shrubs and up to a front door with a large iron knocker.

He opened the door and an enticing fragrance hit him almost immediately. It smelled of apples, cinnamon and vanilla and he hoped desperately that it was pie. His mother didn't bake, so he didn't imagine that Andromeda did either.

Harry hurried into the house, leaving Draco standing in the doorway admiring the surroundings. He found himself in a small foyer with a coat rack and a little bench to the side of it. A large painting of an oleander sat over the bench. The main walls were made of the same stone that was on the outside, but the interior walls were a rich textured beige that set off the furniture and window dressings nicely.

The beige carried up into the ceilings where it was punctuated by the rich redwood beams flowing across the space several feet above him. The floors were the same smooth wood and planked under his feet in intricate patterns.

Straight ahead was a small wooden staircase, to his left was a massive wooden archway leading into a cozy sitting room and to his right was another arch leading into a large dining room. Harry had gone right, so Draco followed.

The dining room was coated in brilliant light from the window. He could see the garden and the green of the ivy and thought briefly of Harry's brilliant emerald eyes. The furniture in the room was simple but Draco could tell it was expensive. It was a darker wood than the floors and each chair that surrounded the large table was covered in sage green fabric.

The table was set as if for a formal service, and the centerpiece was composed of large yellow and burgundy sunflowers.

Adjacent to the dining room was a doorway and Draco followed through it into a massive kitchen.

Draco almost stopped breathing when he saw it, beautiful redwood cabinets with ornate carvings on every surface, accented with hammered copper on the counters, backsplash, and hood. A small stone island stood in the center of the room with chairs all around it and ironwork above it that held various copper pots and pans.

He didn't see Harry at first, but as he got closer he found him leaning into the large iron oven and pulling out a pie. Draco's stomach rumbled at the smell, which had tripled since he walked through the door.

Harry laid it gently in the center of the stone table and smiled contentedly. It looked delicious and smelled like heaven. "Apple?" he asked, and Harry looked startled for a moment but nodded.

"Caramel Apple," he corrected, "and before you care to mock me, yes, I bake. I like to… it relieves stress," he said tersely.

Surprised yet again by the Gryffindor hero. "I wasn't going to mock you," Draco said. "It smells glorious," he added.

Harry smiled widely, and Draco felt a little lightheaded. He had seen that smile on several occasions as a boy, but never directed at him. "Would you like a slice?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded fervently and walked over to the stone island. Harry cut into it and held out his hand for the plate that was swiftly flying toward him. He served up the gooey concoction, sprinkled some fluffy streusel on top and handed it to Draco.

He took a deep breath and savored the smell of it. He had eaten apple pie of course, but never fresh and homemade, usually from a restaurant somewhere. Draco was a bit of a cook himself, but he'd failed miserably at baking. It took a different skill than he possessed.

He plunged his fork into the pie and pulled out a slice of oozing hot apple and took a bite. He could feel his eyelids fluttering as he chewed and a smile curving his mouth as he swallowed. He opened is eyes to find Harry staring in rapt attention, a pink blush tinting his sun kissed cheeks.

"Do you always look so blissful when you eat?" he asked thickly.

Draco smiled wider. "Only when it's this good."

Harry sighed wistfully. "I'll make you pie everyday if you keep looking like that," he whispered.

The fork dropped from Draco's hand with a loud clatter and both boys blinked rapidly as if waking up from a dream. _Was Potter just flirting with me? _Draco asked himself silently.

Harry shook his head and turned away from Draco. He cleared his throat and motioned to the set of French doors off the other side of the kitchen. "I'll show you to your room," he said quickly.

Draco nodded and followed.

The house seemed to be set up with the main living area toward the front and the bedrooms in the back. He walked Draco through the other end of the sitting room and down a corridor. He pointed to the first door on the right. "This is Teddy's room," he said and kept walking. "A guest bath," he said pointing to the door directly across from it. The next door he stopped at and opened, gesturing Draco to walk inside. "You can have your pick of this one or the other, but I suggest the next one because it has its own bathroom attached," Harry added.

Draco nodded and followed him from the room. "The door on the right is mine, and the one on the left is the second master suite," he said, pointing out the last two remaining doors.

"Where does Andromeda sleep?" Draco wondered aloud.

Harry smiled. "She stays in the guest cottage in the back garden," he replied.

Draco nodded and went to the door Harry indicated as Draco's suggested quarters. He opened it and gasped. The room was large, with a private fireplace and a small sitting area in front of it. The furniture was all constructed of iron with rich looking ivory fabrics covering the armchairs.

The bedding was mostly ivory as well, but stitched in wild floral patterns with dark silver that matched the ironwork. Sheer billowy curtains hung around the bed and the ones hanging on the windows matched them closely.

Harry was at Draco's side in an instant. "What? What is it?"

Draco looked over at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You gasped, I thought something startled you," Harry replied, still looking around the room at what could have offended Malfoy.

"Oh," Draco replied with a flush. "I was just… surprised that a Gryffindor could have nice taste in decorating," Draco said with a smirk, trying to cover his slip.

Harry smiled at the backhanded compliment. "I'm glad you approve. I expect you to stay here most of the time, and not bother me," Harry stated simply.

"I'll start now if you don't mind," Draco huffed and attempted to shut the door. Harry was of course blocking the way and laughing.

"Would you like anything in particular for dinner?" he asked.

Thinking about Harry's pie made his mouth water and Draco was finding himself curious as to what other things the man could make. "I'm sure whatever you make will be delicious," he commented, and couldn't seem to stop his tongue from darting out and running between his lips.

Harry bit into his bottom lips and raked fingers through his hair, a gesture which Draco found more endearing than he would have liked and found himself wondering what Harry's raven locks felt like.

He shot Draco a crooked smile and stepped out of the doorway. "Well, see you at dinner, I guess," he said and turned to walk down the corridor, giving Draco a nice view of his swaying arse.

Draco shook his head and slammed the door a little louder than he had intended and winced at the noise. He took his magically shrunk luggage from his pockets and resized it all on the bed, quickly putting his things away.

He hoped Teddy and Andromeda would help relieve the sexual tension at dinner. He didn't need to be traipsing down that road with his former enemy. He shuddered at the thought.

Harry as a boyfriend would be nothing but a disaster; they were complete opposites, not a single thing in common. So what if he could bake, or if he had excellent taste in home furnishings, or that his nervous gestures made him feel wobbly. He still had far better prospects than Potter and had no need to further his relationship with his current host.

It would just be wrong.

Authors Note: Please review! I apologize to anyone who reviewed the chapter of Healing updated yesterday, I didn't get any review notifications for it so I was unable to reply to your reviews as I usually try to do.


	4. The Product of Boredom

Authors Note:Many thanks to my beta Alexandra. For anyone who hasn't already noticed, I have started new fics called Alluring Lullaby & History Repeats Itself, please check it out and tell me what you think!(I'll also be posting the usual header for these on my other accounts)

Chapter 4 The Product of Boredom

Draco got bored long before dinner, but was afraid to leave his room for fear of running into Potter and being forced into another sexually charged conversation. He did want to see his Aunt and his cousin though, so he decided to test his luck.

He slipped silently from his room and noticed that Harry's door was still firmly shut, and Potter wasn't stalking him in the hallway. He went first to Teddy's door and knocked softly.

No one answered.

He tried again, slightly louder and still no one answered. He tried the knob and it was unlocked, so he twisted it gently and peeked in. The lights were off and no signs of life were visible in the small boy's room.

He walked toward the living room and over to the double French doors leading out into the backyard.

The back garden was as beautifully landscaped as the front had been. There was a small stone courtyard with a fountain in the center. The fountain was of a mermaid sitting on a rock pouring water into a pool from a large pitcher.

Around the fountain were heavy wooden benches with comfortable looking plush pillows. All around the courtyard could be found nearly any flower Draco could ever think of. In fact, loath as he was to admit it, the variety might even have rivaled that of the manor.

Tucked away down a path leading from the courtyard was a small cottage, just as Harry had told him. It matched the large house exactly, only on a smaller scale. Judging by its size, it probably only had a bedroom, living area and bathroom.

Draco walked up and knocked on the door, which had a wreath made of brilliant turquoise peacock feathers in its center.

Again, no one answered.

Draco knocked one last time and waited, but no answer came. He was starting to become frustrated. Had no one cared that he was staying in Potter's home? Did none of his family wish to visit with him?

At this point he might even be happy to have Harry's company.

He walked back into the main house and found it very quiet. He tiptoed into the kitchen and stole another bite of Harry's delicious pie and then started to wander. It seemed the house was empty; perhaps they had all gone into the village.

Draco strolled leisurely around the sitting room. It was very cozy with its oversized furniture and crackling fireplace. He sat by the front window for a moment watching a butterfly drift lazily over some flowers in the front garden.

Out of his peripheral he spotted the narrow stairs that had caught his attention when he came in and he ventured a glance up the passage. From the bottom of the stairs he could see a skylight and a couple of bookshelves.

He went up the staircase, excited to find something to read that would cure him of his boredom. Surely Harry wouldn't mind if he borrowed something.

The room was captivating. It was like being inside the hollow of a fairy tree. The rich wood all around him smelled like wisdom, and it was only enhanced by the fragrance of ancient scrolls and bound paper.

The shelves were actually carved into the walls, and lining each indention were gold inlays of ivy and flowers that trailed up the walls and against the framing of the skylight. The ceiling itself was an impressive thing, made of twenty individual angled panels, each with patterns of stained glass buried within them.

In the center of the room were a desk and chair as well as two additional armchairs and an end table. Scrolls littered the desk and Draco frowned. This must be Harry's study. He was suddenly a little jealous of Harry's happy little home.

"Like it?" came a low voice from behind the desk. Draco started and looked over to find Harry looking up at him from his desk chair, he only then realized it had been turned around to face the back wall when he had first come in. "I had this house built around this room," he said.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "How do you have an entire house built around a room that's on the second floor?" he asked skeptically.

Harry smiled and leaned back in his oversized leather chair. "It was a tree with a hollowed out space at the top, and aside from the fact that it had no top or canopy, it was still alive. It still is, in fact, can't you smell it?" he asked, taking a deep breath and doing just that.

Draco could smell it of course, and it fit tightly with what he had thought of the room upon seeing it. "It's… nice, I'll admit. It's a little small but-"

He was cut off abruptly by Harry's laughter. "You are sorely incapable of giving compliments aren't you?" Harry asked.

"I don't often feel the need to do so," Draco huffed in annoyance.

"Well, I do," Harry said. "For instance, you have lovely eyes. I'm not sure why I never noticed before," he said casually, as if it meant nothing, and perhaps to Harry it didn't.

Draco shook himself lightly and bowed his head as a small appreciative gesture, only to have Harry laugh again.

"You don't give compliments or receive them very well," he teased. "I'll have to work on that," he added with a smile.

"You'll be working on nothing, unless it's to work on your own habits of annoying me," Draco scoffed. "I don't need personality assistance from Harry bloody Potter."

Harry only shrugged and went back to looking over the scroll in his hand. Draco was insanely curious what the scroll contained, but couldn't bring himself to ask. Instead he asked another pressing question. "Where are Andromeda and Teddy?"

"Andiron's market," Harry answered casually. "They're picking up some things I asked for to fix for dinner tonight.

"So you send them to run your errands?" Draco asked crassly.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You can just get out of here if you're going to start talking nonsense," Harry said.

"Well, it just seems-" Draco began, but again Harry cut him off.

"I would do it all if I could, but Andromeda is insistent that if I do all the cooking that she should at the very least get to do the shopping. I've tried to dissuade her, but like all people with Black blood, apparently, she is quite stubborn," he finished with a grimace.

Well, that did make sense with what he knew of his Aunt. She wouldn't like a handout and if Harry was doing so much around the house, she would require some work of her own to do. She was different from her sisters that way. Bella and Narcissa were always quite content to let the house elves do everything. Speaking of, "Do you have a house elf, I haven't seen one since I've been here," Draco said.

"And you won't. No I don't have one, nor do I intend to ever have one. We pull our own weight around here and we each share in the load and everything gets done just fine without having to employ a slave," Harry added.

"Slave? Elves aren't slaves! They're just servants who do the cooking and the washing and the cleaning," he protested.

"And what, Malfoy, is your definition of a slave? You complained that Hogwarts was treating you like a slave when you had to serve one measly detention in the forbidden forest," Harry reminded him.

Draco winced at the memory and said nothing more. He began looking at the tomes covering the massive shelves and wondering how Harry had acquired some of them, as most were rare, to say the least.

It wasn't until he came upon a shelf, sitting alone in a corner, full of several copies of the same book that he found anything worth mentioning. "Potter," he asked, "why in Merlin's name do you have so many copies of the same book?"

"Hm?" Harry asked distractedly. He had gone back to his work while Draco was perusing the shelves, and only then noticed what he was looking at.

"These books," Draco gestured toward them annoyed, "You must have more than fifty here," he added.

"Sixty two," Harry corrected. "They are all copies of a muggle book I had when I was young. The Velveteen Rabbit," he told him.

"Why do you have so many?" Draco asked, still curious as to how Potter's twisted mind worked.

"Every time I see a copy in a used bookstore I buy it," Harry said quietly, seemingly lost in thought. He was doing that thing again where he ran his hand through his already messy hair and bit down on his bottom lip. Draco fought with the urge to pull the poor soft pink lip from its torture before Harry damaged it too severely.

"That seems rather daft, it cannot possibly be that good," Draco commented. "And I hardly think the story changes from copy to copy."

"The copy I had as a boy was left over from my mother's childhood things. My aunt didn't know I had it, and I used to read it all night in my cupboard," he said.

"Cupboard?" Draco asked.

"My room, until I was eleven, was the cupboard under the stairs," Harry said casually, like it was nothing at all.

"What? We even treat our house elves better than that," Draco shouted, sounding thoroughly offended. "You were a wizard! How dare those muggles-"

Harry cut him off with a wave. "I didn't even know I was a wizard, and it was a long time ago, just leave it, okay Malfoy?"

He took a deep breath and counted to ten in his mind. "Okay. You were saying? About your odd book collection," he prodded.

Harry shot him a crooked grin. "Right, well the copy I had was my mum's and it had an inscription in the front. It was a sweet little message from my grandmother to my mother."

"What did it say?" Draco asked, suddenly finding the story fascinating.

"To my dearest Lily, may the world bestow upon you the most precious of life's gifts, and one day you can pass this along to your little one," Harry recited perfectly from memory. "It was signed 'your loving mother, Rose'," he added.

"So why the rest of these?" Draco asked.

"Well, when my uncle found me with the book, he took it away and sold it at a garage sale and I never saw it again. I know I'll never find it, but I can't seem to stop buying up all the copies I can get my hands on, regardless," he said with a sad shrug.

"Oh, I guess… well I guess it makes more sense now. I'm sorry I mocked it," he added. The loss he felt with Lucius being in prison was a torment to Draco, and he got to visit his father occasionally. He couldn't imagine the pain of never being able to see or talk to either of his parents.

Harry's eyes lit up a fraction but quickly calmed. "It's pretty silly; you're not the first person to tease me for it."

"Still," Draco said, not willing to say the word 'sorry' again, least of all to Potter. Once was enough.

"Have you read it?" Harry asked softly.

"A muggle book? No, father would have lashed me if he caught me with such a trifle," Draco replied.

Harry got up and walked over to where Draco was standing. He leaned in and for a moment it looked as though he would kiss him, but at the last possible moment he turned and reached for one of the books. Draco's heart was racing from the close proximity, but he willed himself to calm and watched Harry's movements.

He handed Draco one of the newer copies of the story and smiled. "You should read it… if you get the chance," he offered.

Draco took the book and nodded, and Harry made to leave the study. "Dinner should be ready in another hour, I hear Andromeda coming through the wards now, you should go and see her," he said before disappearing down the narrow staircase.

Authors Note: Please review! Over 75 reviews from the first 3 chapters alone! I have the best readers!! I love coming home to a full inbox. lol. (also, as a side note, the book idea was a modified take off of Definitely Maybe. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's adorable. I remembered makig a note to myself when it was in the theatres and I reworked it to fit an HP story and while writing this one, I came across the note, so here you go, although, I doubt it's going to play a major roll as it did in the movie)


	5. Chasing Sanity

Authors Note: So I promised Dreamingincolour that if she updated then I would post an extra chapter of one of my stories, so here it is, all thanks to her. lol. Also thanks to my beta, who has mad skillz.

Chapter 5 Chasing Sanity

Draco wandered into the kitchen, following the smells of roasted pheasant and freshly baked bread. Harry was happily toiling over several boiling pots, rarely using his magic to assist him in creating the aromatic meal.

Teddy was sitting at the small island in the center of the room looking glum, and Andromeda sat beside him with a self-satisfied grin.

Harry looked up at Draco's entrance and beamed, then followed his gaze over to Teddy and Andromeda. "Andromeda took away his PSP," Harry answered without Draco asking anything out loud. Draco found this annoying.

"I wasn't going to ask," Draco lied, wondering what in Merlin's name a PSP was.

Teddy looked up upon hearing his voice and leapt from his seat, running over to Draco with a grin. "Draco!" he yelled enthusiastically.

Draco stood up straighter and scowled. "Do you always greet guests like a screaming banshee?" he asked haughtily.

Teddy faltered a moment, his eyes flicking to the floor. "No, sir," he replied quietly.

Draco laughed and Teddy looked up swiftly to see the grin on Draco's face and he renewed his journey to meet him on the other end of the kitchen. Teddy leapt up into his arms and hugged his cousin tightly.

They usually only saw one another at holidays, so this was a special treat, and now Draco would get to spend a good deal of extra time with his small cousin. "Have you been behaving yourself for your grandmother?" he asked, noting how Andromeda winced at the title.

Teddy nodded quickly. "Yes, and Harry, too. You remember Harry right? He's the best, he's been teaching me how to fly and how to be a seeker like he was. I hope I'm in Gryffindor just like him and then I can be the Gryffindor seeker and I can win the Quidditch cup and-"

"Slow down there, champ," Harry called with a chuckle.

Teddy blushed but started in on another stream of praises about Harry. Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes and gag on fake vomit. Of course the small boy would be infatuated with the idea of the great and legendary Harry Potter, even Draco thrilled at hearing stories about him when he was young, but it wore off soon enough, and this would to.

"I could probably teach you lots of things about being a seeker. Did you know I was the seeker on the Slytherin team?" Draco asked.

"Harry told me. He said he always beat you," Teddy snickered.

Harry chuckled again but didn't look up but Draco scowled at him all the same, certain he would feel it. "I suppose he also told you that my father _bought_ my way onto the team?" he grumbled.

Teddy looked perplexed. "How did uncle Lucius do that?" he asked innocently.

"I would have never told him that," Harry interjected in a serious tone.

"Why not? You seem to revel in making my own blood think of me as a dolt," Draco seethed.

"Telling him that I beat you was the truth, telling him that Lucius bought you a spot on the team was purely speculation, and I don't spread rumors, no matter how little any of it matters now," Harry said, turning back to his roasting bird.

Draco huffed. It seemed Harry the man could not be baited quite as easily as Harry the boy. Still, it didn't mean there wasn't some nasty Gryffindor temper just waiting beneath the surface to lash out at him when he least expected it.

"Now boys, you shouldn't bicker. That time in your lives is ages away now," Andromeda piped in. She acted as though her words were for both of them, but her eyes were only fixed on Draco.

"I'll be nice, Aunt," Draco replied with an innocent smile.

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she nodded her head. "See that you do. Harry's been very kind to welcome you into his home. You would be lucky to count him among your friends," she added.

Draco grimaced. He hated being lectured, and it was worse coming from his own Aunt, and in front of Potter, no less.

"Andromeda, leave Malfoy alone. He's only just arrived and he just needs to settle in," Harry said in his defense.

"Fine dear, just let me know if you need me to speak with him," she said and Harry chuckled, shaking his head slightly in dismay.

Great. That was all Draco needed, Potter defending him and his own flesh and blood ganging up on him. What kind of bizarre world did Draco step into when he entered this house?

He turned to leave and Harry's voice ghosted over him like a soothing caress. "Where are you going? Dinner is almost ready," he asked.

"I've lost my appetite," Draco muttered and headed back to his own room.

--

Draco was sulking, or at least that was what his mother had always called it. Draco called it 'leave me the hell alone'.

Either way, he was sitting in his room trying to decide if it was better to suck it up and stay here with Potter, or get a room at the Three Broomsticks. The accommodations were incomparably nicer here, much to his chagrin, but at the Inn there would be no Potter.

Decisions, decisions.

A sharp knock on the door jarred him from his thoughts and he looked out the window and saw it was already quite dark. He padded over to answer the door, hoping it was Teddy coming to say goodnight, or Andromeda coming to apologize.

It was neither.

Harry stood in the doorway in nothing but a pair of black silk pajama bottoms and a tray of food, which he extended to Draco. "You know, I made this meal specifically for you. Your Aunt said it was your favorite."

Draco rolled his eyes. Of course Potter would make some grand gesture like this. Eventually though, he would tire of Draco, just like everyone else did, and he would turn into the same snide little teenage boy Draco had grown up with.

He took the tray and carried it over to the small sitting area. The meal was indeed his favorite and smelled even better than the pie Harry had baked earlier. The Pheasant was roasted to a golden brown and flecked with green herbs and a buttery looking sauce. It was nestled on the plate among steamed carrots, garlic roasted potatoes and a hunk of warm French bread.

He looked back over to Harry, who was in the doorway holding out a bottle of fire whisky and two glasses. So he wanted to join him? Well, perhaps Draco could allow it just this once; maybe a brief physical interlude was exactly what Draco needed to take his mind off of Harry's unusually appealing assets.

Maybe Draco would be truly lucky and Harry would be a terrible lover, thus freeing Draco from any and all fascination with the man.

He motioned for Harry to come in and the Gryffindor shot him a crooked grin and shut the door behind him. He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the sofa and Draco looked at him oddly.

"I find it more comfortable on the floor," Harry answered, again without Draco having said a word. That was really going to start grating on him soon.

Draco rolled his eyes and took a bite of his delicious looking dinner. An involuntary moan escaped his lips and Harry's eyelashes fluttered at the sound. "Oh, how I crave for you to make that sound because of something besides my food."

A warm blush crept up Draco's cheeks and he continued to look at his plate instead of at Harry's open and expectant face. "Why are you doing this? I thought we agreed that we weren't attracted to one another?"

Harry shrugged. "I lied."

"You lied?" he repeated, stifling a laugh at the bluntness of it.

"Well, not lied really, I just didn't understand the depth of my feelings until you arrived here," Harry corrected.

"And what _are_ your feelings exactly?" Draco asked.

"I want to get to know you," he answered. "Back at the manor, you seemed the same as you always were, but when you arrived here, you seemed… different. I realized that there were aspects of you I had never seen, and I want to."

"How poetic, but why don't you just jump to the point here. You want to bed me," Draco offered casually.

Harry didn't blush as Draco had expected, instead he did quite the opposite.

He smirked.

That was unacceptable. "I would like to know all of you, everything from your daily habits, to your funny quirks to your ideas on politics and the weather. And yes, it also includes seeing you sprawled nude across my bed, but that part comes much later," Harry added, his voice low and seductive.

Draco was sure he meant to trick him, to trap him in some humiliating way. Make Draco fall for him and then yank it all from under him. He had to put a stop to it this instant.

"You already know me in every way other than physically, and I'm afraid I don't sleep with co-workers," Draco said evenly, trying to avoid staring at the sleek, sun-kissed abdomen in front of him.

Harry ran his hand through his hair and sighed, nodding. "You're right. In just a few short weeks we'll be working together at the school and that would be entirely unprofessional."

That had been too easy.

"Well, no harm in trying I suppose," he muttered.

Harry poured the fire whiskey into the glasses and handed one to Draco. "Friends?"

"Friends," Draco muttered, unhappy with the way the word sounded on his tongue, and knocked the shot back down his throat.

--

Several shots later, Harry was making Draco listen to muggle music on a stereo that had been hidden in a small cabinet under the bed. He had put in several gleaming silver discs and with a small black item he called a remote, Harry was flipping through song after song, trying to find something Draco would appreciate.

They had been through at least two dozen songs, and though Draco would never admit it to Potter, he had liked a fair few of them. It didn't stop him from mocking each song with his trademark sarcasm however.

The song they were listening to now was the fourth on a disc Harry said was called 'fallen'. Draco liked the music so far, a bit of a hard edge matched with seductive vocals. On that particular song the lilting quality of the girl's voice was haunting and the accompanying piano painted a dark and brooding picture of lost love.

Draco sighed.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked hopefully.

Draco nodded and Harry's face it up. "I do. It's the perfect cure for the will to live," he responded sarcastically.

Harry pouted prettily and Draco had a hard time resisting his lips. His resistance was made even more difficult by the alcohol addling his brain.

"What's she singing there?" Draco asked, listening to the words, but not quite able to make them out.

Harry backed the song up a little. "You used to captivate me by your resonating light. Now I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dreams. Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me," Harry sang along.

Harry was driving _him_ insane, making him feel like they had been friends for years, instead of enemies in school and effectively ignoring one another afterward.

Draco grinned at Harry's slightly slurred voice, which was far too low to carry the octave the girl sang in properly. "You're drunk," he whispered his face closer to Harry's than it needed to be for him to hear.

"Maybe a little," Harry replied, moving even closer.

Green eyes sparkled with anticipation as Draco stared at Harry from only inches away. He really was attractive, and it had been awhile since Draco had shagged anyone. He closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against Harry's in the barest of touches and smiled when he felt Harry respond.

Harry's eyes went a little wide as Draco pulled away. He was still fairly sure it was a terrible idea to be with Harry on a physical level. Harry struck him as the type who would insist on the entire package and Draco just wasn't in the market for a relationship.

Harry sighed and looked away, startling Draco slightly. "What?"

"You have very expressive eyes," Harry said, as if that explained anything at all.

"And?" Draco asked impatiently.

"You don't want me," he replied, getting up from his spot on the floor.

"What? I-" Draco grabbed Harry's arm to keep him from leaving, but Harry wouldn't look at him.

"It's all in your eyes, Malfoy. You'd be willing to sleep with me, but nothing more," Harry said, gently pulling free from Draco's grasp, which wasn't too difficult because Draco was shocked at Harry's revelation and frozen in place.

"How can you possibly know that?" Draco whispered, more to himself than Harry.

"I don't have casual sex, Malfoy, and I can recognize when a person has only those intentions. You would fuck me, but then you would avoid me, which would be very hard while you're living here," Harry added, a bit dejectedly.

"So that's it? I was right? It's either a relationship with you or nothing at all?" Draco asked.

Harry only shrugged, which served to infuriate Draco further. Suddenly all he wanted to do was have Harry in his bed.

"And if I can agree to your terms?" he asked, slipping into a seductive stance and tone.

Harry laughed and the sound made Draco feel small, even though he was almost certain that was not Harry's intention. "This isn't a business deal, Malfoy. You either have feelings for me or you don't."

"But I do," Draco started.

"You do _now_, but only because you suddenly realized sleeping with me wasn't a sure thing," Harry corrected. "What you don't seem to understand is that I wouldn't have slept with you tonight even if you begged me."

"Malfoy's don't beg," Draco said at once, causing Harry to laugh again.

"That doesn't surprise me," he said. "And I wouldn't expect you to. I like you just the way you are."

"You do?" Draco asked skeptically. He had been burned many times before by lovers who claimed to like him, but really only wanted the chance to sleep with a Malfoy, or a death eater, or who discovered later that Draco wasn't what they imagined him to be in the beginning.

Harry smiled softly and walked to the door. "I do, bratty behavior and all. But I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself at arms length, Malfoy. You won't hear another word about it, I promise," he added, right before walking out of the guestroom and leaving Draco alone and confused.

Authors Note: Chocolate frogs to all reviewers!


	6. To Love

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta Alexandra for her work on this and other fics of mine

Chapter 6 To Love

Harry was in the back garden trimming back several flowering shrubs that had gotten a little out of control over the last few weeks, whistling a tune he couldn't seem to get out of his head. He knew Draco had put up a fuss the previous night over all the muggle music Harry made him endure, but he suspected Draco liked it more than he had let on.

He shook his head and smiled to himself. Draco was surprising and predictable all at once. His manner and tone hadn't changed much since they were children, he was still just as snide and sarcastic as ever, but there was a softer side of Draco that Harry hadn't noticed before he began staying in Harry's home.

Draco was obviously fond of Teddy, and respectful of Andromeda and at the same time, he was even pleasant to Harry. He should be, Harry supposed, since he was a guest in Harry's home, but he had shown a wandering interest in Harry's house, and his pastimes and even his hobbies that he didn't need to just because he was living there temporarily. Instead, he seemed genuinely curious about Harry.

The house was large enough that Draco hardly ever needed to see Harry if he didn't want to, yet he mysteriously showed up where Harry was quite often.

"Potter," Draco called from the doorway and Harry chuckled to himself at the Slytherin's timing.

"I was just thinking about you," Harry called back. He had decided, upon Draco coming to stay with him, that he would need to treat Malfoy like anyone else. He would be honest with him, and treat him with kindness where warranted and ignore him if need be if Draco started being rude. He had promised Draco the night before that he would back off about anything romantic between them, and he had, but he wouldn't do anything to stop Draco from seeking _him_ out, nor would he lie about his feelings if the questions were asked.

"Were you? Do you often think about me, Potter?" Draco asked with a smug grin, coming to stand beside Harry and watching him curiously.

"I have been lately, yes," Harry replied with a grin, though really the smile was only for himself, because he didn't let himself look over in Draco's direction. He enjoyed the irritation oozing from the Slytherin's pores at Harry's lack of physical attention. Even though his words were laced with sugar, it didn't seem enough for the other man.

"Why are you doing all this without magic? You could have been done ages ago," Draco asked incredulously, waving at the row of plants he was manicuring.

Harry chuckled and kept pruning the leaves of a royal purple hydrangea. "I enjoy working with my hands. It relieves stress," he added.

"I know something else that relieves stress," Draco noted, shooting him a brief wink and nudging him lightly in the ribs.

Smiling brightly, Harry turned to give Draco the full weight of his gaze and was happy to see a small gasp forming on the other man's lips. "You mean, like cooking? I find that it also relieves stress," Harry replied, feigning innocence.

Draco rolled his eyes. "No, that's not what I meant at all."

Harry pretended to look confused. "Whatever could you mean then?"

Draco gaped at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sex, Potter. I was talking about sex."

"You want to have sex with uncle Harry?" came a slightly disgusted voice from the back door. Harry chuckled as Teddy came into view and looked at Draco like he had two heads. "Uncle Harry, did you know about this?" Teddy asked him.

"I had my suspicions. I'm very irresistible you know?" he replied to Teddy with a wink.

Teddy laughed and rolled his eyes. "I think you should hold out," he said with a smug grin. "At least make him buy you dinner or something."

Harry could barely contain his laughter. Teddy had been watching far too much television apparently and Harry was grateful that Andromeda wasn't around to hear him say such things. "I think you're right, Teddy," he replied, ruffling the youngsters hair. "Maybe I should even hold out for a present, or a proposal," he added waving the fingers of his left hand as if showing off an engagement ring, and Teddy nodded enthusiastically.

"It would be brilliant if you married Draco, then you would be family for real!" he shouted excitedly.

Harry sent an apologetic look over to Draco, but couldn't manage to stifle his laugh at Draco's sour face. "I'm glad you both think this is so amusing," he pouted.

"Oh come on, have a sense of humor," Harry chastised.

Teddy laughed and moved on quickly to the reason he came outside. "Harry, could we go flying today?"

"Sure champ, go get changed and we'll got up for a bit before lunch," Harry said with a smile.

Teddy beamed at him and rushed off to get ready. "Try harder, cousin," he called back to Draco before he was out of earshot.

"I think you're a bad influence on that boy," Draco huffed.

"Me?" Harry replied with a laugh. "I wasn't the one trying to get fresh in the back garden," he replied, pretending to be offended.

"You're insufferable," Draco growled. "You knew he was there the whole time didn't you?"

Harry laughed and nodded. "I heard him open the door."

"You could have warned me," He scoffed.

Harry frowned. "Where would have been the fun in that?"

Draco sighed dramatically and started to leave, but Harry caught his arm. "Did you actually come out here for something other than propositioning me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I… I wasn't propositioning you. I was just saying that you could be spending your time better," he said, and it wasn't lost on Harry that he hadn't answered his question.

"It would be better spent sleeping with you?" Harry asked with a smile.

Draco shrugged. "Perhaps."

Harry took off his gardening gloves and let them fall to the stone path. He gently cupped Draco's cheek and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I have no doubt that it would, but I've already told you why it simply won't happen that way."

"Because you want a relationship," Draco breathed and Harry nodded, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"I don't think I can do that," Draco said, sounding upset about the fact, or at least Harry imagined he sounded upset about it.

Harry smiled weakly and nodded. "I know. But if you ever change your mind, you'll know where to find me," he added, pushing back a lock of the purest blonde hair and tucking it behind Draco's ear.

He took a deep breath and walked back into the house to grab his gear for flying with Teddy. He didn't know if Draco would ever come around, but it wasn't as if Harry couldn't wait a while. Harry had learned patience over the years and as he hadn't met anyone who interested him as much as Draco in a long time, he could give the man some time and space to come to a final decision on his own.

It wouldn't do any good to force him.

--

"So tragic," Andromeda sighed, peeking out the window of her cottage at the back of the house. She had been watching the scene between Harry and Draco play out like some daytime soap opera. "They're obviously smitten, but refuse to act on it."

"They really are hopeless aren't they," Narsissa mused from beside her.

"They? Clearly it's mostly Draco causing the problems," Minerva observed.

Andromeda laughed. "Harry's being much more passive than usual though. Perhaps if he pursued Draco as aggressively as he had previous suitors then Draco would have come around by now," she offered.

"It's only been a day," Narcissa balked. "Surely you didn't think Draco could be won over so easily."

Minerva narrowed her eyes. "They've been at this game of cat and mouse since they were schoolboys Cissy, surely you saw it?"

Narcissa sighed and looked out the window. "I did see it then, but he was so young and I didn't want to influence his love life too early. He needed to learn on his own who he was and wasn't attracted to." She was watching Teddy flying low around the garden with Harry at his side and she smiled. "He's so good with Teddy," she noted with a wistful sigh. "I miss Draco at that age."

Andromeda nodded. "Harry's a little too lenient with the boy in my opinion, but Teddy's a bright and sweet boy, so he must be doing something right. I've tried to stay out of the day to day parenting since I arrived here, Nymphadora and Remus did leave the boy to Harry, after all." She watched the boy's dip and dive, wincing as they hovered inches from the ground.

"Well, I think he's doing a splendid job, and I can hardly wait to see how Draco does as potion master," Minerva added.

"Yes, he was so excited about the position when I told him about it. Then when Harry came over in person to offer it," she giggled. "It made it impossible for Draco to refuse. Such a clever touch, Minnie."

The headmistress nodded her thanks and sipped at her cooling tea. They had been meeting this way for months, gossiping about all sorts of things, but it wasn't until Narcissa mentioned Draco asking her to buy the copy of _Witch Weekly_ that had Harry's face on the cover that they had begun to scheme.

Andromeda had mentioned a few times how lonely Harry seemed and how she wished he'd find a good boy to settle in with, so that Teddy could have a stable family and Andromeda could take up traveling. She wanted desperately for Harry to be happy after all he had been through.

Then when Narcissa mentioned Draco's not so minor obsession with the boy, everything seemed to fall into place. It sounded so simple. Draco and Harry were perfectly matched. They grew up together, both had had very difficult positions in the war, they both had hot tempers and fiery passions, it seemed just right.

Except for the other way that the boys were the same. They both hesitated.

After Narcissa reported what had occurred between the boys at the Manor, they knew it would be a harder thing than they had planned it to be to get the two together. They hoped proximity and constant contact would be enough, but apparently they were not as lucky as that.

The boys were hardheaded, for sure.

"If Harry would only sleep with him, Draco would give into any demand he made," Narcissa mused. She knew her son's infatuation would be sealed if he were to be so completely intimate with the other man. "He could avoid a relationship with Harry forever if Harry keeps being so coy," she added.

"Yes, and of course Harry thinks he's being noble by not sleeping with him," Minerva observed.

"He's protecting his heart," Andromeda whispered and the other two looked at her with confusion. "Gabe, the last man Harry slept with, turned out to be using him for his fame. He was going to give a scathing interview to Rita Skeeter about the whole affair."

The other women gasped. "What happened, I never read anything in the _Profit_? Everyone obviously still thinks the boy prefers women," Narcissa said.

"I… silenced him," Andromeda said with a wink. "Nothing too unseemly of course, but he'll forever rue the day he met Harry."

"Good," Minerva muttered. "I hope you gave him a good case of dragon pox while you were at it," she huffed and the other two nodded with approval. Harry was far too sweet and gentle a boy to be taken advantage of that way.

"This will be trickier than we originally thought," Narcissa mused. "Both of them are stubborn enough to stick to their guns unless we do something."

"The question is, which will be easier, getting Harry to cave in and sleep with Draco, or getting Draco to admit he wants a relationship?" Minerva asked the group.

They looked around at each other and immediately burst out in a fit of giggles. "We have our work cut out for us ladies," Andromeda said at last, raising her teacup for the other women to toast. "To love," she said.

"To love," they echoed, and set to work planning their next move.

Authors Note: I love my plotting ladies. Please review and I will send out Draco and Harry shaped sugar cookies

--


	7. Chocolate Flavored Kisses

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta Alexandra! Warning: You may want to eat before reading this chapter! lol

Chapter 7 Chocolate Flavored Kisses

Harry was staring out the window of his study, his favorite place in the entire cottage, and taking slow deliberate bites of one of the chocolate raspberry torts he had made that afternoon. He was savoring the flavors of the coffee he had added into the mixture and noting that he should add a hint more raspberries to the batch next time, when he saw a pair of arctic eyes reflected in the window.

"Malfoy," he called in greeting.

"How in Merlin's name do you stay fit with the way you eat? Every time I turn around you're either eating something or cooking something," Draco lectured from the doorway.

"You think I'm fit?" Harry asked as he turned in his chair to face Malfoy, casually propping his feet up on the desk.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know you're gorgeous. Not everyone warrants the cover of Witch Weekly, you know."

A subtle smile curled at the corners of Harry's mouth. "Yes, but that's different from _you_ thinking I'm fit."

If he didn't know better Harry would have suspected the slight pink tingeing Draco's cheeks was a blush. "Well, you certainly aren't overweight, but you should be with everything you eat."

Harry shrugged. "I only eat this way during the summer. I'm too busy to cook while school is in session, plus, it's not as though I just sit about all day."

He knew that Draco had to have seen how active he was. He had been staying at Harry's house for nearly two weeks. In fact, students were set to arrive the following day, which meant no more attempts to change Draco's mind about a relationship. Harry had set that as his cut off. If he wasn't able to persuade the Slytherin by the day the students returned, he would give up.

Harry slid the plate piled with oozing chocolate goodness a few inches toward Draco, but kept the spoon in his own hand. "Would you like a bite?" he asked, licking a leftover remnant of raspberry from his finger.

Draco watched his with wide eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes… I mean… sure. This may be the last time I get to try your famous baked goods."

"That's true," Harry replied with a sage nod and dipped the spoon into the warm gooey mousse. He held the spoon up to Draco's mouth and smiled, waiting.

Draco took the bite, cleaning the spoon entirely with a quick flick of his tongue. His eyes fluttered closed as he ran the dessert across his pallet, a soft sigh of delight escaping his pink lips. "Perfect, as usual," he moaned at last.

Harry grinned and leaned over, rubbing his finger lightly at the corner of Draco's mouth, and putting it to his lips. Draco's eyes went wide at the motion. "You missed a bit of chocolate," he explained. "It would be a shame to waste it."

He had contemplated just licking it straight from Draco's face, but thought that might be too forward. He was still thinking about the potentially surprised look on the blonde's face if he were to do that, when he felt warm, soft and insistent lips on his own.

The flavor of coffee, chocolate and raspberry mixed with the inherent taste that was Draco, and swirled over his tongue. Places deep within him tightened with yearning as their mouths collided in a wet, artistic dance.

He flung a hand haphazardly into Draco's hair, marveling at the soft as silk texture of it between his fingers, and pulled him closer. Draco devoured his mouth, leaving no space free from his tongue's assault, eliciting deep guttural moans from Harry's throat.

When they finally broke apart, it was only to catch their breath. "Tell me you didn't feel that," Draco challenged.

Harry blinked, trying to clear his head. "I felt it, but that's the main problem between us."

"What's that?" Draco asked.

"To you, that just meant sex, to me it meant… well, more," Harry replied, pushing himself away so as not to be caught off guard again.

Draco reached out a pale hand and brushed it lightly across Harry's cheek. "Just give in," he whispered. "We'll both be too busy for anything to happen between us once school begins."

"I know," Harry replied, his voice just as breathy. "I just… I can't."

He turned and left the upper floor study, but Draco gripped his hips roughly and spun him round the minute he reached the bottom landing. He was nearly nose-to-nose with the beautiful Slytherin, and all he wanted to do was continue their kiss.

"Dammit, Potter. What's the big deal? It's only sex," he hissed, his voice coming out more frantic than Harry suspected he wanted it to.

"It's not just sex to me, Malfoy. I give a piece of myself away when I'm with someone like that, and I can't afford to give up as large a piece as you would take from me, especially not while you're unwilling to give anything up in return," Harry replied tersely.

He waited for Draco to refute him, to argue that he would give himself to Harry in return, but no words came. Draco's hold on his hips began to slacken and Harry turned and walked away, heading for the kitchen. He would need to fix dinner for everyone soon, and cooking always helped him relax and clear his mind.

In the shuffle of pots, pans and ingredients, Harry failed to notice Draco watching his every move with rapt fascination.

--

Harry moved like liquid desire, Draco decided. Every flick of his wrist was graceful, every stirring, ladling, or basting was drool inducing. If Harry brought half of his passion during making a four-course meal into the bedroom, Draco knew it would be worth the wait.

Only patience was the one thing he practiced in moderation, and so it was not by any means Draco's strong suit.

Draco took a deep breath to inhale the fragrances of Harry's preparations. He was cooking a rack of lamb on a giant wood-burning grill just outside the side doors; cranberries and spiced apples were simmering separately on the oven while he whisked a port wine sauce together with pomegranate seeds.

The scents accosted his nose and made his mouth water.

He continued to watch as Harry made more of the chocolate tort he had been snacking on earlier, never letting any of the other parts of his meal burn or boil over. It was magic without the use of magic. In fact, seeing Harry so agile and focused in the kitchen made Draco wonder why the Gryffindor had always had sorry marks in Potions.

"Enjoying the show?" a twinkling voice sounded from behind him.

Draco's turned at once to smile at his Aunt, regretting having to turn his attention from Harry and his amazing skills. "He's rather spectacular at this," he mused out loud to Andromeda's agreement.

"I truly love it when he's here, both for his bright and energetic company and for the food he makes that makes the feasts the Hogwarts house elves prepare look like gruel," she laughed.

Draco groaned. "I should probably be angry at him for getting me used to it. This is probably the last night I'll ever get to eat like this."

"It doesn't have to be," Andromeda replied.

Draco smiled weakly. It wasn't that he hadn't thought the very same thing over the last couple of weeks, but he kept arriving at the same conclusion. A relationship with Harry would be volatile at best and disastrous at worst, and he wasn't willing to risk his new career on the slim chance of he and Harry making things work.

It didn't make him want Harry any less though. In fact, it probably had the opposite effect. Draco found himself clinging to every word Harry uttered, every gesture he made, and was now even dreaming about a life that entailed the two of them living in this beautiful cottage and making each other blissfully happy on a regular basis.

But it was nonsense. Draco lived in the real world, and in the real world there were no sweet dreams, no fairytale wishes and no happily ever afters.

In the end, one of them would screw things up, and that would make working side by side with Harry a nightmare.

"I know what you're hinting at, Andromeda, but I'm afraid it's impossible. Potter has nothing to offer me," Draco replied.

"I thought my sister had raised you not to be foolish," she said sharply. "Harry is kind and smart. He's self-sufficient, has a clever sense of humor. He's great with Teddy and you're obviously physically attracted to him, so what else is there?"

Draco blushed and looked down at his feet. "Maybe he's just too good," Draco answered at last. "Nothing is ever as good as it seems on the surface, you know."

"Boy, I have lived with Harry for four years. Do you honestly think I don't know the difference between Harry as he is to the public and the real Harry, the person he is in the privacy of his own home?" she asked blatantly ignoring Draco's eye roll.

"You're lucky, Draco. He never even put on an act for you. He was his true and honest self, probably since you met him, but certainly since you've been living within these walls. I've seen it, the admiration you have for him, and I've seen the same reflected in his eyes," she continued.

Draco sighed and leaned heavily against the wall. "I just can't commit to what he's asking of me. I don't even know if any of it's true."

"Just look into his eyes. Harry has the most expressive eyes, and no matter what words his lips form, his eyes will be telling the truth," she whispered, and patted him lightly on the cheek before heading to the kitchen, where she pulled up a chair next to Teddy.

He would love to verify everything in Harry's eyes, the only issue with that being that the emerald green orbs were like death traps, pulling his own soul into their depths.

Draco shook off the feeling of foreboding and joined the others at the small island they used as a table. The meal was so delicious, the meat was tender and juicy, the cranberries tart and the apples sweet and spicy. It was the perfect farewell meal.

That was what it felt like… like a last meal.

Tomorrow he and Harry would head off to the school, where they would spend most of their daylight hours watching and instructing the students within its walls. They would get back too late in the evenings, that even though Draco was coming back to the Potter manor, he would hardly see him due to grading papers and being completely exhausted.

There would be no time to pine over Harry, and no time to worry over whether or not to give into his demands and try for a relationship. They would each be the head of rivaling houses and it would be nearly impossible to make something work during their blisteringly paced schedule.

So why was he still worrying over it? Wondering if Harry was just going to forget him, wondering if the man he wanted so nonsensically would move on and find someone else to fill Draco's shoes?

"You've outdone yourself, Potter," he said, still unable to shake the woozy feeling from his gut.

"Thanks, Malfoy. You know, there's more of that tort if you're interested," Harry replied with a wink.

"Tease," Draco muttered and Harry laughed.

"Did Draco get dessert before dinner? That's so unfair!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Draco only had a bite of my test run this afternoon," Harry corrected.

A shiver ran down Draco's spine at the sound of his given name rolling from Harry's tongue. "So I was your chocolate lab rat?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged, "I didn't hear you complaining before, when the chocolate was melting on your tongue. In fact, I think you might have moaned for me. "

Teddy clasped hands over his ears and began humming to himself, and Andromeda stifled a laugh. "Really boys, you're either going to have to get better at hiding your desires, or you're going to need to do something about them. And I mean soon," she said with a stern glare, as she led Teddy away from the table.

Harry was blushing furiously and it was terribly endearing. He ran a hand through his raven locks and blew out a huff of air. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget there are other people in the room when I'm talking to you."

Draco blinked rapidly. Being flirted with by Harry was exhilarating and filled Draco full of power and need. To think that someone like Harry might actually want him, _really_ want him, was like an intoxicating drug.

"Can I help you clean up?" Draco asked at last, after getting a secure hold on his spiraling emotions.

Harry smiled, and in his eyes were sparkling pieces of desire mixed together with embers of gratitude and an energy that Draco couldn't quite put his finger on. "I'd like that," he whispered as he began gathering plates and glasses and assembling them haphazardly in the sink.

Draco came to his side and with a flick of his wand the dishes began floating into the air one by one and washing themselves to a glittering shine. Harry's laugh made him turn his head in question.

"Don't you do anything without magic?" he asked.

"Why should I?" Draco asked, utterly appalled.

Harry placed his hand gently over Draco's sending another shiver through his entire body. "Just try it, for me?"

Draco rolled his eyes and reached his delicate pale hands into the dishwater. He grimaced at the feel of food squishing between his fingers. "I really don't like this," Draco said at last, after only washing three plates.

Harry laughed and nodded. "Well, at least you tried."

"I don't get why you always do things the muggle way," Draco added.

"Some of us don't have a choice," Harry replied, his lips thin and tight and his gaze elsewhere.

"What? I've seen you use magic, don't tell me you can't," Draco blurted. And he had seen it, just not very often.

"No, I can… it's just that I shouldn't," Harry replied.

"Care to explain that?" Draco said, stepping closer.

Harry immediately took a step back. "I'd rather not, actually. Just suffice it to say, there are reasons for the way I do things," he sighed.

"I don't understand," Draco said, clutching Harry's arms tightly within his own. He felt the other man's need for flight quivering beneath the surface and he wanted to stop him from running away.

"Look, Draco, I've already said too much. Just leave the dishes. I'll clean them tomorrow before we leave," he said, and easily pulled from Draco's powerful grip.

Revelations kept bombarding Draco's mind. The first was that he loved the way his name sounded from Harry's mouth, and the other was that every time Draco had kept Harry from leaving was false. It had always been Harry who stopped himself from leaving Draco behind.

The force of power that released Harry from Draco's grip was something unexpected.

The last revelation was that Harry had a secret, one that he would keep from Draco, even though he claimed to want to have a relationship with him.

All these things fought for priority in Draco's mind as he watched Harry walk away.

Authors Note: For reviewing this chapter you'll get one of those delicious chocolate torts


	8. First Day Jitters

Authors Note: If you are reading this story on Skyehawke, a couple of the chapters were left out somehow. I went back and fixed the error, so there might be bits of the story you haven't read. Thanks to Shannon who beta'ed this chapter for me. This story is one of my faves at the moment, and for all the people who think Draco needs to finally catch a break, his time is coming.

Chapter 8 First Day Jitters

Not only students felt the sinking feeling in their stomachs that was the first day of school. Draco was feeling the butterfly wings ghosting in his belly when he woke that morning. He looked around his now familiar room and sighed. This was the first day of the rest of his life.

He swept himself grudgingly out of bed and went quietly into the shower, letting the hot spray ease the muscles that had tensed overnight during his fitful dreams. It made him think of another things that would help ease tense muscles but he banished the thought from his head.

Harry wanted more from him than he was willing to give, and now even the idea of it was over. He would be far too busy in the upcoming months to even dream of entertaining thoughts about Harry in any other way than 'co-worker'.

It was as it should be. He should have never even let the idea trickle into his mind, where it worked its unnatural hold over him. But no more, he was Professor Malfoy now, Potions Master and Slytherin head of house. His life wasn't big enough for any other title, least of all Harry Potter's boyfriend.

He dressed in a smart black on black suit, reminiscent of what he could recall his old potions professor wearing at Hogwarts, over which he draped clean black robes with the Hogwarts insignia blazing on the left collar.

Draco was disappointed not to smell the fragrances of a lavish breakfast wafting down the hall. He knew that Harry didn't cook very much while school was in session, but the fact still made him sadder than he had anticipated.

There would be no thick hot blueberry pancakes awaiting him this morning, or any moist and delicious coffee cake, or even banana muffins.

Instead, when he ventured into the kitchen he found Teddy eating a bowl of cereal and Harry washing dishes. "Aren't you going to eat?" Draco asked before thinking of how nagging the question might sound.

"I already did," Harry answered with a smile, completely unfazed.

"Cereal?" he asked.

"Toast," Harry corrected.

Draco turned up his nose and poured a bowl of cereal, taking a seat next to Teddy. He needed more in his stomach than toast in order to deal with the mass of students who were about to scream for his attention.

"So are you excited?" Draco asked Teddy.

"Nervous," he replied. "I've never really met many wizards or witches my age, except Victorie, but she's a girl," he added with a grimace.

Draco chuckled. "So you don't like girls yet?"

The only response he managed to get out of the boy was, "ew."

"Don't worry, it will happen for you, probably all at once and when you least expect it," he said, mimicking his father's words when Draco expressed the same dislike for girls his first year.

Teddy looked over at him confused. "But it didn't happen for you, or for Harry."

"Er, well no. I mean it did, just not with girls," he added with a laugh.

He could tell that Harry was paying avid attention, though to the untrained eye he appeared to be immersed in his task. But Draco knew that no on, not even the great and powerful Harry Potter, could concentrate that hard on washing dishes.

"Have you ever been in love?" Teddy asked.

Draco shook is head. "Not in the traditional sense, no." He looked up at Harry as he spoke, not even sure why he wanted the boy to know that.

"So, when did you know that you didn't like girls?" the boy asked.

"I always knew I think, but I knew for sure after the war," he answered.

The boys face brightened and Draco thought it was odd that the word war, something that took away both of his parents in one fell swoop, would make Teddy smile. "Harry won the war," he said at last and Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I was there," he replied instead. "Did he tell you that he won the war with _my_ wand?" Draco asked with a smug grin.

Teddy nodded and Draco sighed in defeat. There seemed to be nothing he could do to impress his cousin who was already enamored with Harry. It was equally infuriating that Harry had actually told the truth, which left nothing for Draco to call him on.

"Harry's so cool, don't you think?" Teddy asked.

Draco ignored the snickering coming from said cool guy. "Did he tell you that he died?" he blurted.

"Malfoy," Harry hissed.

He felt suitably chagrined, as he looked back and forth between a furious Harry and a horrified looking Teddy. It was tactless and mean to say such a thing. "I'm just joking Teddy," he amended.

Teddy looked wide-eyed over to Harry for confirmation. "I'll tell you the whole story one day, champ, but not over breakfast your first day of school." Draco didn't miss the hurt look on Harry's face when he said the last bit.

It looked as though Teddy was on the verge of protesting, but Draco caught him off guard. "Is that how you're going to wear your hair for your first day of school?" he asked, making a sour face.

Teddy gasped and ran to look at his reflection in the mirror. "Is it bad? Should I change the color?"

"Maybe blonde," Draco suggested.

Teddy stuck out his tongue, but changed it to blonde in a heartbeat. It was more the light golden honey color of Narcissa's hair though, rather then the platinum blonde of his own.

Harry didn't say another word as he slipped out of the kitchen and down the hall. "I'll be back in a minute, okay? Finish your breakfast," Draco told Teddy.

Draco followed the Gryffindor down the hall, stopped outside the master bedroom door and knocked. No one answered so he tried the knob and felt no resistance. He gently pushed on it but was stopped by a hand swiftly yanking it open. Harry slipped quickly into the hall and shut the door behind him before Draco could even peak inside.

Harry didn't look at him as he spoke. "What were you thinking?" he asked harshly.

"I wasn't," Draco admitted. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you shouldn't have. Just like your father getting you on the Quidditch team wasn't my rumor to spread, this wasn't yours," he whispered angrily.

"Potter, I'm sorry. He just doesn't respond to anything I say or do, it's always about you," he replied, leaning heavily against the wall.

Harry's face softened and he ran a gentle hand down Draco's cheek. "He's lived with me for four years, Malfoy. Before that I saw him almost every weekend. It's not a bond that you can compete with in just a few short weeks. It'll get there though, I promise."

Draco rolled his eyes and ignored the fluttering in his chest at Harry's touch. "Ah, but you're the great and powerful Harry Potter. Nothing I do will ever compete with that."

Harry jerked his hand away quickly and stuffed it into his robe pocket. "It's nice to see you've already admitted defeat," Harry said.

"I… I haven't. It's just… even you have to admit you're a hard person to best on any subject," Draco stammered, sorry for the loss of Harry's touch and wondering what words had caused it.

"I'm rubbish at potions," Harry offered.

"But you're probably not, you can cook brilliantly, and the same fundamentals apply to potions. You just never applied yourself," Draco corrected.

Harry rolled his eyes, a faint smile pulling at the edge of his mouth. "You sound like Severus."

"Since when do you call Professor Snape, Severus?" Draco asked incredulously. Draco knew the old potions master fairly well before he died and even _he_ was never emboldened enough to call the man Severus.

Harry chuckled and ignored the question, walking back down the hall toward the front door. "Teddy," he called. "Time to go."

Draco groaned at the long walk that was ahead of them, and it was raining out no less. But Harry surprised him and went up the stairs into his study instead of out the front door. Teddy followed closely and Draco walked up last, just in time to see Harry ushering Teddy through the massive fireplace ahead of him.

With a green flash Teddy was gone and Draco smiled, quite pleased that he wouldn't have to walk in the rain. "Where does this lead? The Headmistress's office?"

"No, mine," Harry said, throwing floo powder into the fireplace. "Just say 'Gryffindor Office'," he instructed, and Draco obeyed, stepping into the clean fireplace and speaking his destination clearly.

He arrived in a decent sized room. Every wall was lined with mahogany bookshelves, each with proud lions carved into their bases, the tails coiling up to the third or fourth shelf. At the top of every other bookcase, were red marble phoenix statues, their wings splayed so wide they were almost touching the next.

"Bloody Gryffindor's," Draco cursed mockingly under his breath.

"Hey, watch it. I'll probably be in Gryffindor," Teddy boasted from the doorway.

"There will be no end to my teasing if you're sorted into Hufflepuff," Draco said with a laugh.

Teddy made a disturbed face and opened the office door. "Tell Harry I went to the great hall," he called on his way out.

"Brilliant, no I'm just a messenger," he muttered.

He wandered over a large desk situated in the middle of the room with two chairs in front of it and one large one behind it. The surface was mostly clean, but he could see that the headmistress had left him a memorandum parchment or two for Harry to read on his return to school.

Otherwise the only things on the large expanse of desk were two photographs. Once of a much younger Harry in the center of Weasel and The-Know-It-All, and the other a picture of Harry, Teddy and Andromeda playing in the garden. A slight limp formed in his throat as he realized he had no personal pictures to place on his desk in his own office.

A flash of green erupted in the fireplace and Harry climbed out, looking only slightly disheveled. Draco walked over automatically and began smoothing, or rather attempting to smooth, his hair, and straightening his tie.

Harry beamed at him Draco stepped back quickly, colliding with the desk. Harry righted him and went over to the small stack of parchments littering the surface. As he flipped through them, Draco continued to scrutinize Potter's office. Starting with the empty portrait over the fireplace.

He desperately wanted to know what deceased family member or professor he had looking over his shoulder all day. It was bound to be someone like Albus Dumbledor. He walked over to the portrait and looked for anything that would indicate who should be filling it. It was obviously someone who was fairly busy and important if they were there to greet Harry on his first day back to Hogwarts.

"Who is in the portrait?" Draco asked, tired of trying to guess.

Harry chuckled and looked up at the empty portrait. "Maybe you'll see one day."

Draco huffed and rounded on Harry. "Are you embarrassed?" he asked at once, trying to goad an answer out of him.

Harry merely rolled his eyes, not taking the bait. "I have no reason to be embarrassed."

"Fine," he scoffed, leaning against the mantle and watch Harry sift through his mail.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Mr. Malfoy," a voice boomed from the portrait. "Still letting Potter get the best of you?"

Draco whirled around to face his old potions professor, stunned beyond belief that Severus Snape, the last man Draco would have suspected, hung gracefully on Harry's office wall, the _Gryffindor_ office wall.

"Sir," he greeted quickly and courteously.

Snape rolled his eyes and looked over at Harry who was smiling widely. "Is this a new game you're playing, Harry? Watch the Malfoy squirm?" he asked.

Harry chuckled and Draco nearly lost his breakfast at the sound of Snape, his professor Snape calling Harry… well, Harry. "He'll be staying with me while he has a house built nearby. Malfoy's taken over your old position Severus."

"Has he now?" Snape's sallow face sneered down at Draco. "I imagine Minerva must be quite desperate."

Harry shook his head firmly, only a hint of amusement in his voice. "Malfoy is very good at what he does, and I imagine he'll be a fair bit nicer than you were," he added.

Draco looked in shock and awe back and forth between his old professor and his… what was Harry exactly, a friend, a co-worker, a roommate?

"Students need a firm hand," Snape said. "I used my firmest with you, and you turned out just fine. Draco however, I was soft on him and here his is kowtowing to a Gryffindor."

"I am not," Draco scoffed, completely offended.

Snape watched him a moment and then a subtle smirk shaded his face. "Oh, I see," he said mysteriously and then his black eyes flicked to Harry. "Ah, yes. She is quite clever indeed," he added before walking from the portrait frame.

"Where did he go? What the hell did he mean?" Draco demanded.

Harry merely shrugged. "He's like that. Here one minute, gone the next. I think he picked up some things from Dumbledor."

"Why is he here inn your office, the Gryffindor office? Shouldn't he be in my office? I am the Slytherin head of house after all?" Draco huffed.

"Do you want him?" Harry asked.

"Well… no. He's a bit creepy and mean, but that isn't the point," he scoffed.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "He keeps me grounded. He's the only professor that never let me get away with things and I trust him to keep me in line still," Harry said with a smile, but the edges slowly faded at his next words. "During the war, we came to an understanding. I never got to say think you to the real Severus, so the least I can do is honor his portrait."

Draco looked incredulously at the man he thought he had known. Over the last few weeks Harry had taken that image and turned it on its side. It was unsettling to say the least.

"So you're… friends with him?" Draco asked, still unbelieving.

Harry shrugged. "I guess. I mean we're friends right? How is that any different?"

Draco swallowed thickly and nodded. "I guess it's not." He still hated the way the word friend felt in his mouth, in his throat. It was like a cough that just wouldn't come, and instead lingered too long until when it finally hit, you wouldn't be able to breathe.

"Well, we had better go. Teddy is probably getting on Minerva's last nerve and students will begin arriving later," Harry offered.

"Right," Draco replied with a nod. "Let's go." He was still caught off guard by the enigma that was Harry Potter, but he would have plenty of time to figure him out as they worked together and lived together over the next few weeks.

Suddenly the thought of leaving Potter's cozy home and moving into one of his own sounded daunting, but Draco knew deep down it was for the best. In the meantime he would do what he could to figure out everything he could about the man walking beside him, so close he could reach over and clasp his hand.

It was all Draco could do to keep from acting on that idea.

Authors Note: okay, so there was food in this chapter, but offering toast or cereal just seems sort of lame, so I'm offering up Harry shaped toast and Draco flavored cereal. ;) I can't decide if that sounds good or not. lol


	9. Slytherin Tendencies

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta for this chapter, Shannon. Also, I've started a yahoo group for anyone who wishes to join which I will be using for various things related to my fiction including update alerts, story/chapter discussion and other things. If you're interested you can join at groups dot yahoo dot com/group/Digitallace/. For everyone who thought that Draco was getting the short end of the stick, things begin turning around for him here.

Chapter 9 Slytherin Tendencies

After greeting the other staff members, Harry was assigned to show Draco around the school. It had been rebuilt after the war, and even though it was almost identical in every way, Minerva insisted Draco be given the grand tour.

Harry pretended to mind, but in all honestly he thoroughly enjoyed every minute he got to spend with Draco. He was sarcastic and rude and had a very dry sense of humor, but Harry found him vastly more entertaining than any of his other friends.

Hermione and Ron rarely visited, and when they did all their talk centered on their children, which was fine in small doses, but not consistently for hours. He didn't know what about having a baby made it suddenly okay to talk openly and descriptively about bodily functions, but he was glad to have skipped over all of that with Teddy.

"And _this_ is your office," he said with a flourish, effectively ending the tour with the room that was once Slughorn's and Snape's before that.

"Thanks for showing me around a place that I grew up in and know like the back of my hand," Draco replied sarcastically.

Harry smiled and shrugged. "You could have told me to sod off at any moment," he offered.

"And you would have?" Draco asked, his face coated in doubt.

"Sure. I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin your first day," Harry replied with a shrug. "Do you want me to leave now?"

"So, did you guys even change this place at all?" Draco asked instead of answering Harry's question. Harry smiled to himself at the very Slytherin approach, getting what you want without giving anything up. He would have called Draco on it, but he was content just to know that Draco didn't want him to go.

"We expanded the pitch," Harry responded.

"The Quidditch pitch wasn't affected by the war," Draco scoffed.

"No, but it was a perfect excuse to make it larger while we rebuilt everything else," Harry replied with a grin.

Draco shook his head in mock disgust, but smiled in spite of it. "Do you ever go out there?"

Harry nodded with enthusiasm. He often spent his free periods flying around the pitch; it was a great stress reliever when he was stuck at the school and a bad day. "Quite a bit."

"Care for a duel over the snitch?" Draco asked, leaning smugly against the doorframe.

"Care for a kiss?" Harry countered.

Draco blinked at the sudden change of subject, but leaned in and nodded.

"Well, both will have to wait," Harry said with a chuckle, "because the students are arriving."

Draco narrowed his eyes and growled, but Harry just smiled and started walking briskly toward the front of the school. It didn't take long for Draco to catch up with him. "You're an evil tease. If I didn't know any better I would have pegged you for a Slytherin."

Harry laughed. "I almost was."

"What?" Draco asked, staring at him with confused silver eyes.

"Long story. Suffice it to say, I may be Gryffindor, but I have a few Slytherin tendencies," Harry replied with a chuckle.

"I have no idea what any of that meant, are you channeling Dumbledore?" Draco asked, rolling his eyes.

Harry chuckled and kept walking. "Anyhow, you know it's against the rules to snog in the corridors, right?" he asked, picking up their previous conversation. It was his goal to keep Draco thinking about him, and maybe one day he might actually want Harry for more than just a quick shag and a goodbye kiss.

That was what it would be if Harry kissed Draco now and he knew it. Draco was already looking for excuses not to get too intimate; Harry could see it in his arctic eyes.

"Clearly that rule pertains to students," Draco argued.

"Only because it should be implied that professors not snog in front of students," Harry corrected.

"We could go to your office then," Draco suggested.

"Because you fantasize about Snape watching us kiss?" Harry replied with a laugh.

Draco huffed and kept pace with Potter's quick stride. "Isn't it unsafe having the floo network tied to your office?" Draco asked out of the blue.

"It's not hooked up to the office. My office is hooked directly into my study and the house has the same wards around it that Hogwarts does," Harry replied. "It's the same connection they use to connect the Headmistress's office with the Minister's."

"Fancy," Draco commented and Harry shrugged.

"It beats walking back and forth everyday." And it did, it would be quite the jaunt to make each day if he didn't have another way of traveling. Even brooms had their drawbacks in weather like they had experienced that morning.

"Maybe I'll ask for the same connection when my house is finished," Draco mused and Harry frowned. He didn't like the idea of Draco moving out, even though he knew it was inevitable.

"I think Minerva will make you walk," Harry teased.

"You might be right," Draco scoffed. "She always did give you special privileges."

"That's not true," Harry defended and Draco shot him a skeptical look. "Okay, maybe a little, but it's not as though I didn't earn it," he added.

"Right, right. Ridding the world of the evil Voldemort," Draco mused and Harry was impressed to hear the blonde use the name, not many people did, even this long afterward. "How could I forget?"

"You don't seem as impressed by that as most people who want to sleep with me," Harry teased.

"I don't want to sleep with you," Draco corrected, stopping short and making Harry whirl around to look at him. Harry was stunned into silence, waiting with baited breath for Draco's next words. He could feel Draco's warm breath waft over his face as he slinked up next to Harry and whispered in his ear. "I want to fuck you, Potter. I want to see you writhe with pleasure under my touch and I want to hear you scream my name into the heavens. There will be no sleeping," he said at last.

Harry shivered and smiled. "So then when would you like to go out to dinner?" he asked.

"What?" Draco replied, taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

"I thought I made it clear that I don't do casual sex. So, if you want that so badly…" he began with a smile and Draco cut him off with a huff.

"Dammit, Potter. Why do you have to overcomplicate things?" Draco scoffed, renewing their walk toward the great hall.

Harry laughed and caught up quickly, grabbing Draco's arm and halting him again. "You're not one night stand material, Malfoy. At least not for me."

Draco rolled his eyes and pulled from Harry's grasp. "Stupid romantic Gryffindor," he muttered and Harry grinned.

They were the last to join the other staff members in the Great Hall and Harry took his seat beside Minerva, and Draco sat next to him. They waited patiently for the older students to file in and then for Hagrid to lead the new group of first years inside. Usually this job fell to Harry, but Minerva told him to focus on Draco. As the newest and youngest staff member aside from Harry, she thought he might need special attention.

Harry had tried not to snicker at his definition of special attention.

The students were all in place and Harry relaxed for McGonagall's speech and the sorting hat's song. He resisted the urge to wave at Teddy, but winked when the boy met his gaze. All the while he watched Draco out of his peripheral, watching him as he sipped from his goblet, as he looked proudly at Teddy, and how his gaze kept flickering toward him when he didn't think Harry was looking.

Suddenly it was Teddy's turn to be sorted, and he stepped up to the chair on solid and unshaken legs. He sat and the sorting hat was placed upon his head. Harry couldn't see his face, but he imagined it looked much like his own when the decision was called out.

"Slytherin," the hat boomed and Harry's mouth fell open.

Draco was cackling beside him and shooting his cousin triumphant grins. When Teddy finally turned around and met Harry's green gaze, the boy looked stricken and surprised. They had all been certain Teddy would be sorted into Gryffindor. Both his parents were from that house, and Harry thought he had raised the boy with qualities any Gryffindor would prize.

"That's my boy," Draco whispered to himself, and Harry realized at once it was true. Draco would now be Teddy's head of house, Draco would be the one Teddy went to with problems and questions from that point forward, the one he would seek advice and Quidditch tips.

Harry sighed and turned to see both Draco and Minerva beaming, but he only wanted to scream the injustice of it.

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Draco was ecstatic, and he didn't care how upset Teddy and Harry were at the outcome of Teddy's sorting. Eventually Draco would convince Teddy of the benefits to being in the Slytherin house, and Harry… well, he doubted there was much he could do about Harry's bad mood, at least nothing Draco would allow him to do.

Still, the opportunity to mentor his young cousin was thrilling and he suspected Andromeda would be pleased.

"How, in Merlin's name did that happen?" Harry muttered once the feast had commenced and the students and professors began chatting amongst themselves.

"He's a Black," Draco answered simply. It was true that the odds were in Gryffindor's favor to get the boy, but pureblood won out in the end, no matter how tainted with werewolf and muggle it was.

"He's the son of two Gryffindor's," Harry countered.

"The hat obviously saw the Black blood in his veins even through the Gryffindor musk that tried to mask it," Draco replied with a laugh.

"I think it's wonderful," Minerva boasted, earning her a dirty look from Harry. "The houses need a bit of diversity and what could be better than the godson of Harry Potter in Slytherin."

"I should have taught him more protection spells," Harry muttered.

"The houses are not as bad as they were in your time, Harry. War separated the students more than it usually does. But still, try to see the benefit of this," she coaxed.

"I'll be there for him, Potter, not to worry," Draco offered, feeling elated that it was true. He would be the boy's guardian and mentor for the next seven years.

"That's precisely what I _am_ worried about," Harry groaned.

"That's hardly fair. Not everyone in Slytherin turns out evil," Draco told him, offended at Harry's lack of confidence in him. "Just look at me."

Harry's eyebrow rose in answer, a look on his face that clearly said that Draco's argument wasn't much of one.

Draco huffed and turned away, upset at himself for even caring what Harry thought. He had made it clear that he had no intentions of dating the Gryffindor, so why did he worry about how Harry saw him?

A warm hand covered his own and he looked over to see Harry smiling apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, you're right, Malfoy," he whispered.

"Wait, say that again," Draco teased. "I'm not sure I've ever been apologized to by a hero."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll say it again over dinner if you go out with me this weekend," he replied with a sly grin.

"Potter, no. How many times do I have to tell you," Draco replied, frustrated. It was one of the most difficult things Draco did to refuse Harry, but it had to be done. He just wasn't the relationship type and never once bothered with men who were. It was additionally important that Draco make this clear, because if he were to date Harry, things would inevitably blow up and Draco would end up having to leave Hogwarts and probably all of wizarding Europe to escape the gossip and constant reminders.

Draco was a ruiner.

It was something he came to terms with ages ago. Everything he touched eventually turned sour and that would eventually include Harry if he were to start something with the raven-haired hero. Though he had to admit, if anyone would be resistant to Draco's ability ruin everything, it would be Harry.

He was strong willed and self sufficient, witty and charming and dead sexy. Draco noticed all those things at once, and was secretly thrilled to find out the Gryffindor golden boy was gay. Draco enjoyed being pursued by Harry more than he would have expected, but still, he couldn't let himself give in.

They could never have the relationship that Harry sought.

"That was the last time," Harry replied, bringing Draco from his thoughts. He crossed his fingers over his heart and smiled sadly. "I won't ask again. I promise."

Draco was shocked to find how disappointed he was by Harry's words, but found himself nodding curtly. "Good. It's for the best, Potter."

"Whatever you say, Malfoy," Harry said and turned back to his food, proceeding to ignore Draco for the rest of the evening.

It wasn't that Harry ignored him exactly, more that he focused on other things aside from Draco. He would answer a question if Draco asked it, but there was no flirtatious undertone as there was before. He also noticed that Harry's eyes never quite locked on his own as he would speak, and that the answers would be short and to the point.

The air between them grew heavy with the weight of it until finally the feast was over and the students filed out. Harry got up and followed the Gryffindor's and Draco left with the Slytherin's, Teddy walking briskly at his side.

"So how excited are you?" he asked Teddy when the other students were just out of earshot.

"On a scale of one to ten?" Teddy asked.

"Sure," Draco replied with a shrug.

"Negative eight," Teddy muttered.

Draco rolled his eyes but laughed in spite of himself. "It's not so bad."

"It's not as good as being in Gryffindor," Teddy replied. "How upset is Uncle Harry?"

"He's happy for you. He knows how superior Slytherin's are to any other house," Draco lied.

"Right," Teddy huffed. "I can't believe I'm going to have to sleep in a dungeon."

"The common room has a view of the underside of the lake. Sometimes you can even see merpeople swim by," Draco offered.

Teddy seemed to mull that over and eventually smiled. "Well, I suppose that's sort of cool."

Draco felt a swell of pride at being able to cheer his little cousin. "I'll teach you the warming charm that does the best when it's too cold."

"Cool, then I can sell the charm to the other students," Teddy snickered.

"You'll do just fine in Slytherin, Teddy. Just fine," Draco mused happily.

After going over the house rules with the first years, he showed them all the directions to his office and left to find Harry. He hadn't liked how their last talk ended but wasn't sure what he could do about it. It wasn't as if he could offer Harry what he really wanted.

Harry was in his office already looking over some paperwork when Draco peeked in. He hadn't bothered knocking, and still wasn't sure why, it spoke to the comfort level he felt with Potter and made him a bit uneasy.

The Gryffindor didn't even look up when Draco entered and Draco had to clear his throat in order to get his attention. When he did finally look up, it was with a grimace. "Could you not do that?" Harry asked sounding annoyed.

"What?" Draco replied, baffled but this new entirely cold Harry.

"Clear your throat to get my attention, it reminds me of Umbridge," he muttered distractedly.

"Sorry," Draco murmured. It was then he spotted the large vase on Harry's desk. He didn't know how he missed the vast arrangement of flowers there, swimming just to the side of Harry's lowered head.

"Merlin, Harry. Who sent you these?" Draco asked, his voice tinged with jealousy he hadn't thought he was even capable of.

"I don't know, there wasn't a card," Harry replied, still not looking up from his paperwork.

"So you have so many admirers that you don't even know who sent you flowers?" he bit out, sounding ruder than planned.

Harry looked at him with a wary expression. "That's just it, I have no admirers, so I don't know who would send me flowers… unless it was you?" he asked, and Draco thought he sounded hopeful.

"It wasn't me," Draco replied grudgingly, almost wishing it had been.

"I thought not," Harry said, getting up from his desk and lifting the flowers from their vase.

"Why is that? Am I not good enough to send you flowers?" Draco huffed.

Harry laughed. "Hardly. I just think you would have gotten me nicer ones," he said with a halfhearted grin as he walked toward the fireplace, swinging the colorful bouquet behind him as if taunting Draco with it

"You ready?" Harry asked.

"For?" Draco replied, distracted by thoughts of who could have gotten Harry that fragrant bouquet.

"To go home?" Harry amended with a frown.

"Er, yeah sure, let's go home," he said, not certain he liked how right the word 'home' felt on his tongue.

Authors Note:This is one of my favorite stories at the moment. It's just so fun to write. I hope you are all enjoying it. Who sent the flowers I wonder?

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	10. Tap Dance

Authors Note: This story is one of my favorites, and I hope you all enjoy the progression

Chapter 10 Tap Dance

"Infuriating," Narcissa cried at the report Minerva had given of the boy's daily interactions.

According to the Headmistress, things had cooled considerably since sessions began at the school. "I just don't know what went wrong," Minerva, mused. "I made sure they spent the entire afternoon alone together, sat them beside one another at the feast, Harry even came around fairly quickly to the idea of Teddy in Slytherin, but then something abruptly changed," she reported.

"I saw the flowers, a brilliant idea by the way, Minnie. Harry had them in his hand when they came home, but then he went straight to his room with them. Draco looked furious, maybe even jealous, but all he managed to do was linger outside Harry's bedroom door for several minutes before shutting himself up in his own room," Andromeda offered.

"Draco can be so stubborn," Narcissa sighed.

"He certainly doesn't have the patent on it, trust me, from what I've seen, Harry has his own brand of stubbornness," Minerva offered. "Why, the two have been tap dancing around each other for years, and this week was the worst. I've never seen two people so adept at avoidance."

Andromeda laughed. "You should have seen them this morning. Harry got up, made breakfast, read the Quibbler and went up to his study, and the moment he went upstairs was the very moment Draco came out of his room. It was like he knew exactly where Harry was at all times."

"He might have, Draco's very advanced at tracing charms. He might have cast one on Potter without him even knowing," Narcissa added, sounding very annoyed. "Which makes our job that much harder."

"We'll need something bigger, some way to get them in the same room with one another," Andromeda muttered.

"Well, if the boys enjoy dancing around each other so much, maybe they need a dose of their own medicine," Minerva offered, holding up the poster for the Halloween Ball.

The three women fell into a fit of laughter and began devising their new plan.

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Draco looked across the room at Potter, who he had convinced himself to steer clear of. The Headmistress was ruining all his scheming and if he didn't know any better, he would think she was fully aware of her actions.

The tracking spell he had put on Potter had been working well all week, but what was the use if he were going to have to be forced into sharing a classroom with him.

Harry still avoided his gaze, ever since the welcome feast. Something had changed, cooled between them, and Draco was both thankful and full of loss and regret over it. Harry still refused to look at him, even then, when he was standing directly across from him, surrounded by tiny Gryffindor's.

"As you should all be aware by now, the last Friday evening in October will be the Hogwart's Halloween Ball. As such, I'm giving you students an extra opportunity to learn the art of ballroom dancing as instructed by your heads of house," Minerva said.

There was a mixture of groaning and cheering from the students gathered and Draco sighed. These lessons were supposed to take place once a week until the week of the dance, optional for students, but mandatory for him.

"Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick you'll be working with your students on Wednesday evenings before dinner, and Deputy Headmaster Potter, and Professor Malfoy will be working with their students on Monday's," Minerva continued.

Harry paled considerably, and Draco was fairly sure that if he could get paler he would have. So much for his plan to avoid Harry.

"Professor Malfoy, Professor Potter, if you'll join me here in the front of the room, please," the Headmistress instructed firmly.

Draco swallowed thickly and made his slow journey to the front of the room, carefully looking away from Harry at every occasion.

"Now, your head's of house will demonstrate some of the more traditional dances that will take place at the ball," she said lightly.

Draco grimaced and shook his head. "Really, Headmistress, I'm a terrible dancer," he lied.

"Nonsense Draco, I've seen you dance and you are lighter than air," she complimented.

Cringing, he nodded, unable to think of anything else to get him out of this mess.

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Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Draco's constant rejection of even a simple date still stung, but he would have to suck it up and put on a brave face for his students. He only wished his first encounter with the man in over a week didn't have to be touching, and worse, dancing. He was far less clumsy now than he had those many years ago at the Yule Ball, but dancing was by no means something he had much experience or practice at.

It appeared that he was fated to make a fool of himself after so many days of narrowly avoiding the Slytherin with the use of the Marauder's map.

He had given himself a strict window of opportunity to try and convince Draco that he was worth a risk, and he even went over his agreed limit because it seemed as though he was making headway with the blonde. But Malfoy was as steadfastly opposed to the idea as he was in the beginning and there was no reason Harry needed to keep putting himself out there just to be turned away time after time.

At one point he almost gave into Malfoy's wishes and slept with him, but he knew himself well enough to know that if he had sex with the beautiful Slytherin, that there would be no banishing his feelings for the other man, and then Draco's rejection would hurt that much worse.

Now he need only ignore him until his romantic feelings dissolved and then he could work on building a new relationship based strictly on professional friendship with the other man. However, he had a sinking feeling that avoiding Draco would no longer be as easy as it had been for the last few days.

His eyes flicked up to Draco's face, not looking directly into his eyes but just above them. "Professor Malfoy," he said, adding a sarcastic bow. Draco rolled his eyes and appeared to ignore the snickering students.

"Potter," he replied, just as mocking but with a hint of coldness. Obviously Draco had noticed Harry deftly avoiding him, but perhaps he wasn't entirely indifferent to the fact. Was he angry, hurt, or perhaps regretful? Harry shook his head, deciding promptly that it didn't matter and that he wasn't there to play mind games or try to figure Malfoy out but rather to teach.

"Now don't be shy professors," Minerva called. "Take Draco's hand, yes that's right. We're going to start with the English waltz."

Harry gripped Draco's pale hand firmly in his own and tried to repress the sudden jolt of electricity that sparked between them. He cringed slightly as Strauss's 'The Blue Danube' began to play over the wireless and Minerva cleared her throat.

"The English waltz is meant to be danced slow and close," Minerva said and Harry suppressed a groan when she pushed him and Draco closer together. "There is a step per beat, and each movement should be fluid yet sharp."

At the Headmistress's insistence the boy's began awkwardly moving about the floor, Draco pressed close to him and they both trying to lead.

Minerva clucked her tongue and halted their movements, shouting over the music. "Professor's only one of you can lead," she called.

"I suppose you want to do the leading, since you're the big _hero_," Draco muttered, sounding annoyed.

"Actually, I was going to suggest _you_ lead. I'm sure you're the more experienced out of the two of us," Harry offered, still avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

"Really?" Draco asked, looking rather shocked.

Harry nodded curtly and yielded the lead to Draco. With Draco leading their movements they were graceful and elegant, as the glided in time to the music. The students went from giggling to silent attention to their professor's movements.

After a couple of stances Minerva began pairing students up and the floor was filled with Slytherin's and Gryfindor's and the professor's were no longer the center of everyone's focus. "You never told me you were Deputy Headmaster," Draco said quietly.

"You never asked," Harry replied.

"So am I supposed to ask you all about your life in order to get _any _information out of you?" Draco asked snidely.

"Only if you're interested," Harry mused, ignoring Draco's tone.

Draco was silent for some time, which Harry took to mean he was not in fact interested. "So how did you manage to secure that title? It's quite an achievement for someone of your age to hold it," Draco asked suddenly, surprising him.

"It's not as though I asked for it, or even want it really," Harry muttered. "Also, Minerva has several years in her still, I probably won't see that side of the desk for a decade at least, he added.

"Still, very impressive, even for you," Draco complimented. "So what do you plan to do when you take on the Headmaster's mantle?"

Harry shrugged. "I doubt I'll do anything different. I love Hogwarts exactly the way it is. Sometimes it feels more like home to me than my _actual_ home."

"So then why live off school grounds?" Draco asked, looking genuinely curious.

Harry chuckled. "Long story," he replied.

"If you hadn't noticed before, the waltz is a very long dance, and I'd bet a hundred galleons that McGonagall's not planning to cover only one instruction tonight," Draco replied with a slight grin.

Harry rolled his eyes, but returned the smile. There were a few reasons for him to live off campus, but he could share some of it. "Fine. Well, when I first started, the war had only been over for a little more than a year. My break up with Gin was still in all the tabloids and the press followed my every movement. That first year as a professor was difficult, because students would rather gossip _about_ me than learn _from_ me. At night students would constantly harass me. They would make up fake ailments and problems just to have some face time with the legendary Harry Potter."

"That sounds awful," Draco teased.

"You have no idea. At first I had no real clue what was going on until one of the seventh year girls came onto me. Talk about awkward. It was then that I put in the request with Minerva to stay off school grounds. She accepted right away and I built the house in Hogsmeade. I love it there, but sometimes I miss living in the castle, getting to sneak through dark corridors at night and watch the moonlight from Gryffindor tower," he replied wistfully.

"It's the same moon at your house, Potter," Draco laughed.

Harry shook his head. "It's different, I mean… well, I'd have to show you, but I promise it's different."

"Show me tonight," Draco replied quickly, looking away at once as if he hadn't meant to say anything.

Harry smiled sadly and shook his head. "Better not. Some people would interpret something like that as a date."

"Well, it's not a date. It's fact checking. I need to see what you're talking about with this whole moon thing to make sure you're not delirious," Draco offered. "I'd feel obligated to tell the Headmistress if you weren't fit to teach."

Harry couldn't contain the smile that appeared on his face as he nodded. "Alright; tonight, then."

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Draco had been wrong, the Headmistress had stopped with the waltz and merely assigned them new dances to practice each week with their students.

Teddy came up to him afterward, fidgeting nervously. "I was rubbish, did you see me?" he asked Draco when they were alone.

"I'm sure you were fine, Teddy," Draco soothed.

"So you didn't see me?" Teddy corrected with a grin. "Is that because you were too busy flirting with Uncle Harry?"

"I was not flirting with Potter," he replied quickly and maybe a bit defensively.

"Me thinks he doth protest too much," Teddy said haughtily.

"Pardon?" Draco replied with a sneer to hide the amusement trying to bubble up to the surface.

Teddy only shrugged. "Grandmother always says it when I'm denying things."

"Well I'm not unwarranted in denying it. I wasn't flirting with your godfather," Draco replied.

"We'll keep it our little secret," Teddy said, patting his cousin on the arm.

Draco rolled his eyes and waved the child off, sending him scurrying to catch up with his friends. He shook his head as he went to his office to finish up the last of the paperwork for the night.

He had no idea why he had suggested meeting Potter tonight. He must have been off his rocker. No doubt Potter would take the suggestion as a date and it certainly _wasn't_ that. There was just something in Harry's eyes as he talked about the castle at night, something he wanted to experience for himself, and something he wanted to share with the Gryffindor.

Draco shook his head again. No, there would be no sharing, not the way Harry probably hoped, but perhaps they could strike some sort of accord. They worked together and had to live together after all. They couldn't continue this game of avoidance, the Headmistress had made that very clear earlier.

-----------------------------------

Dinner went smoothly. The professor's spoke very little but everything said was friendly and civil, yet didn't have the same biting tone as it had all week. Afterward Harry approached him and they ironed out plans to meet at the portrait of the fat lady at half past nine.

Draco was there, on time as usual and waited for Harry, who was _late_ as usual. When the portrait swung open startling him a bit, but no one emerged from the Gryffindor common room. He sighed and began pacing the floor in front of it when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he whirled around, running smack dab into an invisible force.

The being chuckled and a moment later Harry emerged from under a flowing silvery cloth. "Merlin Potter, what the hell were you thinking?" Malfoy exclaimed, clutching his heart as if that would slow it.

"I decided you would need the full experience if you wanted to be able to report accurately to Minerva," Harry replied with a smile.

Draco was momentarily confused until he realized the reasoning he gave Potter for coming tonight. Harry's emerald eyes were vibrant with the light of his laughter and Draco pushed aside all thoughts of kissing that mirthful mouth. "What do you mean?" he hissed.

"My invisibility cloak," Harry replied, holding out the cloth to Draco.

"This- Potter this isn't just any invisibility cloak," Draco whispered in awe. "This is one of the deathly hollows."

Harry cringed at his words and nodded. "I know."

"You know?" Draco replied, surprise lacing his every word. He had no idea how Potter could own something so important.

Harry shrugged. "I had all three at one point. The Peverell's are ancestors of mine."

Draco quivered with frustration at Harry's overly casual demeanor. "You had all three? Potter, people have searched their entire lives for these artifacts and you had them at twenty seven?" he demanded.

"Seventeen," Harry corrected. "And the cloak I've had since I was eleven. It was passed to me by my father through Dumbledore."

"You expect me to believe that you had the Deathstick and the Resurrection Stone at the age of seventeen, and did what with them? Gave them out as Christmas gifts?" Draco hissed, trying to keep his voice down, but barely able to contain his emotions.

"No. Nothing good could ever come from owning all three. Dumbledore made it clear to me what the search for the Deathly Hallows had done to him, and I wouldn't let the same fate befall me," Harry replied. "So I got rid of the other two. I only kept the cloak since it belongs in my family."

"You're serious?" Draco asked and Harry nodded solemnly. "You're an odd man, Harry Potter," he mused out loud. Draco couldn't even imagine the strength of will it would take to discard such powerful relics and to do so at the age of seventeen, barely a man? Well, he supposed it probably took extraordinary willpower to fight against the Dark Lord and win as well.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me where they are?" Draco asked in partial jest. He had never had any real want to find the items himself, but he knew he wouldn't be able to overlook them if he was handed a location.

"Not a chance," Harry said with a grin.

"Probably just as well," Draco replied and shrugged elegantly. "So, now what's with the cloak?"

"I used to use it to sneak about the castle at night, so I thought I'd show you," Harry told him while flinging the cloth over the both of them.

The billowing material left everything below their knees exposed as they made their slow journey through the dimly lit castle. In some corridors the torches would flare to life at their approach and startle Draco, causing Harry to chuckle lightly. It was after one of these corridors that Draco realized he was clutching Potter's hand. Harry barely seemed to notice, but once Draco did, he couldn't seem to think about anything else. The warm and comforting feeling of having his fingers entwined with Harry's was leaving him with a mixture of feelings that he couldn't even begin to explain.

"Isn't it magical?" Harry whispered softly beside his ear and Draco was about to reply with a biting remark about how obvious that statement was when referencing a _magic school_, until he followed Harry's gaze.

They were on an upper floor of the main castle, overlooking the vast open space leading down to the Great Hall. They had a perfect view of the various moving staircases, as well as the ancient stone walls covered in sleeping portraits. The ceiling above them seemed to glimmer in the faint light from the scattered amber torches and it was all covered in a twinkling haze that seemed to come from looking through the invisibility cloak.

It really was magical.

Draco couldn't fight the slow smile forming on his lips as he nodded. "This explains so much," he mused.

Harry looked at him quizzically. "Like what?"

"Well, it explains how you were able to get away with so much, and why you were so tired in our morning classes and why you always looked so sad on the last day when it was time to take the train back to London," Draco answered, thinking about the haunted look in the younger Harry's eyes on the last day of school every year.

Harry nodded and smiled. "It does partially explain all those things."

"Partially?" Draco asked, suddenly very curious about the other explanations.

Harry didn't say anymore though, he just looked out over the twilight covered castle with what Draco expected was the same awe he would have seen if he had spied the eleven year old Gryffindor doing the same.

"So, the moon," Harry said at last, startling Draco from his thoughts.

"Right, the moon," Draco replied with a nod and Harry lead the way back to the Gryffindor common room.

Draco felt odd stepping through the portrait hole, as if he were walking into enemy territory. Harry led him quietly up the staircase to the topmost dormitories. "Potter," he hissed in warning. "We'll wake someone."

Harry merely shook his head, ruffling his already mussed up hair and place his finger over Malfoy's lips. Once inside, Harry removed the cloak and smiled. "This one is empty. There aren't as many students as there were before the war."

It made sense. A lot of wizards and witches died and some of the survivors chose to have their children go to Beaxbatons or Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts. Too many bad memories.

Draco followed Harry as he walked over to the furthest window and sat on the wide ledge. Draco took a seat across from him and their legs, even bent at the knee, were interlaced.

Neither of them looked at the moon for a while, both just watching each other as they sat quietly on the window ledge. Harry's eyes took on an otherworldly shine in the moonlight and framed by his long thick lashes, they called to Draco. His scar was nearly invisible, partially covered with the fringe of Harry's raven locks and partially masked by the distortion of light through the window. In this light Draco could imagine Harry as an innocent boy, someone without the entire world on his shoulders, someone who had never even seen war let alone fought in one, someone who was perfect and pure.

He found himself quickly captivated by Harry's very presence, as if there was something inside of Draco that would always yearn to be with him. It was odd to think that he hadn't really known anything about the war hero except what the rest of the world knew. He thought, since he grew up so close to the boy, that he would have more knowledge about him. They were enemies in school, and who do you know better than your enemies? No one.

But there was so much more to the Gryffindor than met the eye, and Draco was eager to find out everything he could, and was happy to find that Harry didn't mind divulging secrets with him, things that surely few others knew. "So, if the Peverell's are your ancestors, that means that you're related to Salazar Slytherin," Draco said, realizing for the first time how important that bit of news was. "Were you Slytherin's heir?" he asked at once, immediately intrigued.

Harry grimaced slightly. "Tom Riddle, Voldemort was his heir. I suppose in a way maybe I am too, but the basilisk didn't obey me."

Draco gaped. "So that was true? You really went into the chamber of secrets? You really killed a basilisk?"

Harry nodded glumly and sighed. "I've done a lot of things, Malfoy. I had more adventures and near death experiences before I turned seventeen then most people will have their whole lives."

"Well, I'd like to hear about all of it," Draco replied, suddenly knowing that his words were true. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Harry.

A subtle smile curled on Harry's lips and Draco realized what that might mean. Did he want to date Harry Potter? Surely not, he just wanted to befriend the legendary man. "I'll be happy to tell you all about it, but not tonight, okay?"

Draco nodded at once, both relieved not to have to sit in rapt attention, sinking lower and lower into the pit he found himself in, disappointed that he would hear no more tales tonight, and elated that there would be another time, another night perhaps, though certainly _not_ a date, that he could spend alone with Harry.

Potter looked away, staring out the windows with the silvery moonlight putting all but his profile in shadow. Draco couldn't take his eyes off the sight of him, so relaxed and peaceful, like an angel. "Isn't it beautiful," Harry whispered, his eyes locked on the silvery orb in the sky, and Draco had to agree, though he never once looked at the moon that night.

What Draco had the opportunity to gaze upon could not even begin to be compared with the moon.

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Authors Note:Just so everyone knows, I'm in the process of packing and moving into a new house I just recently bought. The move is being spread over a few weeks, and hopefully this will not hamper the updates in any way, but on the off chance I can't post a chapter on time, please forgive me. I am writing 2 new oneshots at the moment, one to be posted at the end of November in celebration of one of my beta's Robert and his birthday, the other which is by far the smuttiest thing I've ever written, and I'm not sure when it will be finished, but you all will be the first to know.


	11. Protective

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta Robert for his work on this fic. I'm so pleased with my team awesome. They take such good care of me!

Chapter 11 Protective

"They're touching," Minerva announced with a wry grin.

"What? When did this happen?" Narcissa asked excitedly.

"It's hardly noticeable unless you're looking for it, but obviously I am," she giggled. She hadn't felt so young in years as she did chasing after those two stubborn boys. "It's small things so far, a graze of the fingers as they pass each other something during a meal, a carefully placed hand at the small of the back, I even saw Harry push back a lock of Draco's hair the other morning," she cooed.

Andromeda nodded. "They do the same things at home now, Harry even makes a special dessert most nights and he never used to bother cooking while school was in session except occasionally on the weekends. _And_ they spend almost every evening in the garden talking."

"But it's still only talking?" Narcissa asked.

"I haven't even seen them kiss even once since the weekend Draco arrived," Andromeda commented.

"Me either," Minerva noted. "Though they both take their career at Hogwarts very seriously, so I would be quite surprised if they ever did anything of the sort on school grounds."

Narcissa nodded. "Draco might press the issue, but I doubt Potter would agree to it. He has a heavy sense of responsibility to the students."

"But things are certainly progressing," Andromeda offered. "Slowly," she added with a grumble.

"What can we do to speed things up?" Narcissa asked. "Maybe a weekend alone?"

Minerva's eyes lit up. "Brilliant, Cissy."

Andromeda nodded in acceptance. "It looks like I'll be coming to visit you this weekend, dear sister," she added with a grin.

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Things had remained polite between Draco and himself, and every once in awhile Harry thought the other man might be considering a romantic relationship with him. However, whenever this would happen, things would quickly cool and he would be left wondering if Draco even noticed the chemistry between them or if it was all just a figment of his own imagination.

It was fairly quiet for a Friday.

Normally students were anxious for the weekend, but since Hogsmeade weekend was held on the previous week, they were slightly more subdued at present. His first class after lunch was a group of first year Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's and Teddy was among them.

It had been easy enough to assure Teddy that he didn't care about the sorting and that he loved him regardless, but seeing him surrounded in a sea of green was still slightly hard to swallow, though he vowed never to let the teen know of his inner turmoil. He did love Teddy, and he knew that boy's character outweighed the stigma given to Salazar's house, much like Draco's did.

His godson beamed at him as the students began to file in. Harry had vastly escalated the curriculum when he began teaching the students, and that day's lesson was on werewolves, not previously taught until third year. Harry however knew that because of Voldemort, there were far more werewolves in wizarding society than ever before, and thought the students would gain more from knowledge over them rather then, say bogey curses. Not that Harry was opposed to a good bogey curse, but he tended to give those sorts of studies as homework. Just imagining the common rooms filled with students performing the curse on each other would lighten his mood.

Harry moved to the front of the classroom, scanning the crowd of attentive students and leaned against the back of his desk. He told Draco to warn Teddy of the lesson, knowing it would be a touchy subject, and a brief nod from his godson confirmed he had gotten the message and looked at least mostly ready to hear about his father's condition inside the classroom. Harry wouldn't be going over anything that Teddy didn't already know, as they had talked extensively about Remus on several occasions, but Harry knew that it must still be difficult for the boy.

Folding his arms across his chest he took a deep breath and began his lesson. "Werewolves," he started to a slight gasp from some of the giggling Slytherin girls. "Who can tell me the name of the strain they carry in their blood that makes them different from the rest of us?"

A few hands went up and Harry was pleased to see that Teddy's was among them. "Mr. Lupin," he called, feeling a twinge of pain from the instant feeling of loss he felt at the name. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was Remus's son: he rarely ever used the boy's last name after all, but every time he did, he felt that sharp pain in his heart, the same as he felt it for Tonks whenever the boy used his morphing abilities.

"Lycanthropy," Teddy answered brightly, and Harry nodded.

"That's correct. In the past it's been looked on as a disease or infection, but the facts are that this strain in the blood cannot be cured and that the wolf becomes part of the human. They are regular human beings just like you or I except for twelve or thirteen days out of the year," Harry stated.

A Ravenclaw boy with dusty blonde hair raised his hand and Harry nodded for him to ask his question. "Isn't it true that some werewolves stay in their wolf form?"

"Werewolves do have the ability to prolong their transformation using potions and spells, but it's not very common," Harry answered. "The vast majority of people with this affliction cannot be distinguished from others while they're in their human form. They eat, sleep and work the same as you and I. They have relationships, they have children, and they lead relatively normal lives outside of the full moon," Harry added with a wink toward Teddy.

Harry started levitating out Ministry-issue pamphlets to each student. "Tonight I want you all to read this article written by Mrs. Granger-Weasley on the affects that prejudice against werewolves has on their daily lives and how that might be changed with the passing of her proposed law to prevent discrimination on werewolves and others who are similarly persecuted."

"Why is everyone afraid of them if they're so harmless," a Slytherin girl asked snidely, and Harry didn't miss the scathing look she shot Teddy.

"People are often afraid of what is different. That's not to say that werewolves aren't dangerous. In their wolf form they cannot usually discern between friend and prey, and they can easily kill a loved one if provoked in that form, but wizarding society paints an ugly picture of them that simply isn't true," Harry cautioned.

"Good thing your father's dead," a portly Slytherin boy directed at Teddy. "Or else he might have eaten you as a baby!"

Teddy's face turned bright red and he sank a little lower in his chair. Harry's entire body began to shake with the rage building up at the young child's comment. He knew children could be cruel, but Teddy did nothing to elicit such a response.

"In fact, how do we know that you're not a werewolf?" the same boy called across the room at Teddy. "Next full moon we should lock you in a cage and find out!"

"Get out," Harry demanded, making the Slytherin boy turn his cold eyes on Harry in question.

Harry could feel his power begin snaking down his fingertips and he placed his wand carefully on the desk so as not to be tempted to aim the full force of the gathering power at that one student.

"Professor?" a brunette Ravenclaw girl asked in question. Harry could only imagine what he must look like to the students, trying to rein in his fury.

"Harry?" Teddy called, looking more concerned than the others.

"Get out!" Harry practically yelled through gritted teeth. "All of you. Class dismissed. Leave. Now!"

He clamped his eyes shut against the pain that lashed through him from trying to hold all that power inside of his body. He heard chairs scrape the floor and feet running hurriedly from the room and then silence. When he opened his eyes again, the classroom was empty so he let go.

A frightening white blaze burst from his body, searing the walls and floor and sending anything not bolted down flying through the air to crash into the other side of the room. Desks flew into the air, turning to splinters as they hit the wall before dissolving into ash, and textbooks popped into little balls of flame before disappearing. If there had been anyone else in the room there would have been numerous injuries, if not death.

The blast lasted nearly three full minutes, and when the power finally receded back into Harry's body, he nearly sighed out loud with relief. A power flare like that could have killed another wizard wielding the force, but it didn't even leave Harry dizzy. He was fine: more than fine, in fact, and that fact worried him more then the surge itself.

There was nothing to keep him from getting addicted to such powerful magic: no side effects, no lasting physical damage, not even a headache. Only his conscience allowed him to fight with it on a daily basis, and his ability to resist using magic for common things he could just as easily accomplish without the use of magic.

His wand was virtually useless to him, and had been since the war ended. He carried it so as not to draw unwanted attention, and it was also useful to focus and pinpoint his magical energy, but otherwise an antiquated toy.

"Potter, are you alright?" a voice asked from the door, and he ripped his eyes from the wreckage of his classroom and faced his friend and mentor.

"I'm fine, Minerva, but I can't say the same for this room," Harry attempted to tease, though the monotone delivery lacked any and all humor.

"Teddy told me you were acting strangely and I came at once," she told him, stepping over broken pieces of desk and singed parchment to get to where Harry stood. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and sighed. "What happened?"

"I lost my temper," Harry replied plainly. "One of the students started harassing Teddy about Remus and I just lost it," he told her, shaking his head in dismay.

"I think you should take the rest of the day off, Harry," she replied quietly, her voice laced with nothing but concern.

Harry sighed and sagged to the floor, his head falling against his knees. "I should take the rest of my career off," he muttered. "I have no business here, I could hurt these students."

"Any of us could hurt these students," Minerva huffed. "Do you think you're the only professor who has needed to hold their powers back in order not to harm an insolent student?"

"But I-" Harry began to protest, but the Headmistress cut her off.

"Just because you can cause slightly more harm doesn't make you unfit to teach. You're the one of the best professors we've had at this school, Potter, and I'll not having you talk rubbish about my favorite employee," she added sternly and with a slight smile.

Harry rolled his eyes and attempted to return Minerva's smile, but fell drastically short.

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Harry spun round and round his office chair, waiting for Draco to arrive so that they could go home. He was trying to clear his mind, but all thoughts kept lingering on whether or not he should tell Draco about what happened earlier and what it might mean for him.

"Would you stop treating that chair so horridly, you're making me dizzy," a voice shouted from the portrait above him.

Harry gave the chair one last spin, much to Snape's chagrin and then stared blankly up at his old professor. "I take it Minerva told you what happened," Harry said dryly.

"Of course she did, she also said that you might need some cheering but as much as I protested that I was hardly the right person for that job, she still sent me," he replied.

"She's pretty worried, I'm sure," Harry muttered, leaning back in his chair and twirling his thumbs.

"She's worried for you, not about you," Snape told him.

"Is that supposed to mean two different things?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Snape rolled his eyes dramatically and leaned into his frame as if he might reach out and smack Harry across the face. "It means that she's more concerned about how you are feeling since the incident, rather then the incident itself."

"That's ridiculous. I could have killed someone and she's worried how sad I might be?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Would you think Minerva McGonagall capable of anything less?" Snape sneered.

Harry sighed and began pacing his office, trailing his fingers over the dusty tomes. "No, I suppose I wouldn't, but that doesn't make it any less foolish to continue to let me teach here."

"Potter, you and I both know that I don't attend your pity parties," Snape droned. "So get over yourself and be the kind of professor those students deserve."

"Yes, sir," Harry sulked.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Snape teased and Harry couldn't resist the subtle smile curling his lips. "So, can I report you as sufficiently cheered, lest I find my frame on fire next time I show up in the Headmistress's office?"

"You can report me as mostly cheered, but not completely," Harry corrected.

"Yes, I imagine it will take young Malfoy to finish the job," Snape replied with a knowing smirk, and left Harry alone with his blushing cheeks.

A moment later the door clicked open and Draco stepped inside. "You're here early," he nearly shouted, startled by Harry presence. Typically it was Draco who was found waiting for Harry.

"It is my office," Harry replied sarcastically.

"I know, it's just that sometimes I wait for you here for an hour or so before you arrive," Draco admitted, looking suddenly awkward at having said so.

"Really? What do you do in here all that time?" Harry asked, grinning widely.

"I rummage through your things of course," Draco replied with a smirk.

"Really?" Harry asked, slightly shocked by his bluntness.

"No, not really. I usually read, or grade papers," Draco answered, gesturing to the rolls of parchment under his arm.

"So you don't snoop around in my desk or anything?" Harry attempted to confirm.

"It's no fun after the first time. One can only come across the same 'Wand' magazine so many times before losing interest," Draco told him. "You really should get some new reading material."

Harry blushed and sent Draco a rude gesture before activating the floo. "Are you ready?" he asked Draco from over his shoulder.

Draco nodded and followed him home. "So, you never told me why you were early," Draco noted when they arrived in Harry's study.

"Minerva sent me home, I only came back to fetch you," Harry told him and escaped quickly downstairs to the kitchen.

"What did you do?" Draco asked curiously.

"Nothing," Harry lied, feeling immediately woozy from it.

"Liar," the blonde replied.

Harry sighed and leaned against the counter. "I was caught kissing a bloke in the hall."

Draco's mouth fell open and he narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

"Very handsome fellow, you wouldn't know him," Harry replied with a casual wave.

"You… but- you can't," Draco stammered.

"Why ever not. It's not as if I'm dating anyone else," he replied and turned to leave the kitchen before he started laughing.

Draco grabbed his arm and turned him around, scowling as he saw the smile on Harry's face. "You were lying to me again," he growled.

"A little," Harry conceded. "Were you jealous?"

Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes," he huffed.

Harry's eyes shot up, again shocked by Draco's words. "Really?"

"Yes. I… I know that I've been difficult, but the thought of you with someone else made me a little crazy," Draco admitted.

"You know what that means, right?" Harry asked brightly.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me," Draco muttered.

"It means you want to date me," he replied in a singsong voice

"It does not. It only means that I'm fond of you and that I don't trust just anyone to be your boyfriend," Draco told him haughtily. "I'm just over protective with my friends."

"Would you give it up already?" Harry huffed, shaking off Draco's grip on his arm. "Why is it so hard to admit that you fancy me?" he demanded.

"Why is it so hard for you to tell me that you blew up the Defense classroom this afternoon?" Draco countered furiously.

Harry's gaped for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I lost control of my magic," he said at last.

"It took an awful lot of magic to do what I saw today," Draco whispered.

"How did you even find out?" Harry asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "How does anyone find out anything at that school?"

"Are there really rumors flying already?" Harry asked, looking sullen.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "No, I came to see if you wanted to take a trip around the pitch and I found McGonagall in your classroom, which no longer resembled a classroom."

"And she told you?" Harry groaned.

"No, she didn't. I guessed and you confirmed it just now," Draco muttered.

"So, I imagine you'll want to be moving out now?" Harry asked, turning around and walking back toward his room without an answer.

"Who said that?" Draco protested, chasing after him.

Harry whirled on him. "You _should_ move out, in fact you should probably take Andromeda and Teddy with you," he shouted. "I'm dangerous."

Draco ignored him and opted to ask another question instead. "How did you do it?"

"It's Voldemort's power," Harry told him. "When I killed him, I absorbed every last drop of his magic through our connection."

"That's impossible," Draco scoffed.

"I had a fraction of his soul inside me my whole life," Harry whispered. "And even though I died to kill off that piece of me, something in his powers must have recognized me when I killed him," he finished. "At least that's what Minerva thinks based on Dumbledore's journals."

"So the old man is solving mysteries from the grave," Draco mused.

Harry merely shrugged. "Minerva thinks that if I just use the power that eventually everything will level out and I'll get used to it, but I just can't take the chance."

"Why not? If she thinks it will help it probably will," Draco offered.

"You saw what I did to the office today, and I've done even worse then that," Harry countered.

"Well, I'm not leaving, at least not until my house is finished, which won't be for another few weeks," Draco told him firmly. "That is unless you're throwing me out," he added, looking much less sure of himself.

Harry's face softened immediately and he shook his head. "I would never toss out a friend," he replied, putting careful emphasis on the last word.

Draco shifted in place uncomfortably and nodded. "Right, so what do you want to do this weekend? We should get your mind off of the incident today at school."

"Well, Andromeda went to stay at your mother's house, so we're on our own this weekend," Harry informed him.

"All alone?" Draco replied, his eyebrows rising into the fringe of his platinum hair, and Harry nodded.

"Don't worry," Harry said with a wink. "I'll behave," he added as he walked into the living room, hearing Draco mutter something along the lines of 'that's what I was afraid of', and Harry chuckled in response. "Movie night?" he offered, calling over his shoulder at the approaching blonde Slytherin professor.

"Can I pick the movie?" Draco asked. He found he quite liked muggle movies and they usually offered a good distraction from wanting to fuck Potter senseless. Except lately, movie night tended to consist of the two of them sharing a blanket on the sofa, eating warm buttered popcorn and drinking hot cocoa, which made him want to sleep with Harry more, as opposed to less.

"I could be amendable to that," Harry said as he went to make popcorn and hot cocoa and prepared to settle into a warm and peaceful night with Draco.

Authors Note: I have good news! I'm not as far behind as I thought with the fics so I might not need to miss a posting!


	12. Hunger

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta for this fic! Robert has been a huge help to me on all the fics he works on and just turned 18 yesterday so yay Robert!

Chapter 12 hunger

Draco couldn't stop himself from associating food with sex.

Every time he took a bite of even the most mundane dish he thought about sex, but not just any sex: no, it was always sex with Harry. No doubt that was the Gryffindor's intention, or else he was trying to fatten Draco up so that no one else would want him so that Harry could have him for himself. Either way, Draco was growing weary of being buttered up –quite literally- and decided to turn the tables.

Perhaps Harry already thought of food and sex as synonymous, it certainly would explain his ability to easily bat away Draco's many propositions and advances, but just in case, Draco was going to make certain that with every bite of cake, or roasted duck, Harry would think about fucking him, which in the end would solve all of their problems, he was sure of it.

It was those thoughts that found Draco Malfoy in utterly foreign territory early Saturday morning. Harry's copper pots and pans hung above his head and sprawling hammered metal surfaces sprawled out around him. He searched high and low for a cookbook, a recipe card or anything else that might inspire him as to what one of Harry's favorite meals might be but found nothing.

Apparently Harry was a true culinary genius and never even bothered with predetermined measurements or instructions. Draco used to think he could cook, but after only a week of Harry's delicious meals he soon realized that spaghetti and grilled cheese couldn't even be considered food next to Harry's Ahi-tuna stack with red pepper pesto or his vine-ripened tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad. Harry was just in a league of his own when it came to his perfect use of flavors and technique.

"But really, how hard could it be?" Draco muttered to himself as he checked the icebox for his ingredient options. After some introspection he decided to make his own rendition of an apple pie, feeling it was appropriately poetic as Harry managed to snag him with that very dish his first day here.

He tried to recall the recipe that had been passed down through his father's side of the family for decades and pulled out 6 large sour apples, a fresh lemon, sugar, flour and cinnamon and placed them on the large stone island.

Three slices into the first apple and Draco cut himself, wincing and cursing at the pain, but trying to keep quiet enough so as not to wake Harry. After getting another apple he decided to slice them with magic instead and was mostly successful in getting the thin slices he wanted.

As he moved on to stewing the apples, he knocked his head on a cabinet door, burned his palm on the stovetop, and squirted lemon in his eye. All of this before he even managed to add the apple slices into the saucepan.

"How is Harry such rubbish at potions and so good at this?" Draco mused with minor annoyance. Part of him hated the fact that Harry had him so thoroughly hooked on his cooking, something he would miss greatly when he finally moved out. Though the rest of him hated the fact that Harry's cooking was not the only thing he would miss about the powerful Gryffindor; he knew that if it weren't for the opportunity to see him at school, he might never want to leave.

Though if he wanted to be honest with himself – which he rarely was – he would know that despite the fact that he would still see Harry nearly every day, it just wasn't the same as being here with him.

As he started to mix the dry ingredients the bag of flour began tipping precariously toward the edge of the countertop, threatening to spill its contents all over Harry's rich hardwood floors. Draco dove for it, flinging his spoon to the side in his haste but was too late and ended up being covered head to toe in the fluffy white powder.

Utterly dismayed by the sheer mess he had made in the kitchen he just stared blankly for a moment at his half made pie and contemplated giving up. Finally he decided the least he could do after destroying Harry's kitchen was provide him with a finished pie and continued with his mission.

After an embarrassing butter incident, one shattered glass pie pan, and a small oven mitt fire, Draco managed to complete his task and placed a slice onto a tray along side a cup of steaming hot blackberry tea and began levitating it back to Harry's bedroom door.

He avoided knocking, planning on actually getting to see the room this time. He opted to cast a general unlocking charm that was a bit stronger than Alohamora and waited for the telltale click of the lock. As soon as he heard it he turned the knob and let the door swing open and started to levitate the tray ahead of him.

"Draco?" Harry asked, his voice laced with a mixture of grogginess and panic.

"I made you breakfast," he announced proudly.

"Draco wait!" Harry shouted. "You can't levit-" he began to say before his words were cut of by the sound of shattering ceramics and the clatter of cutlery.

Harry sighed, shaking his head, but smiled all the same, as Draco looked dumbfounded at the mess all over Harry's rug. He was single handedly ruining Harry's house one room at a time. "I've never messed up that incantation. I'm so sorry, I have no idea what I did wrong!"

"It wasn't you, Draco. It's my room," Harry said with a slow frown, the mirth from Draco making an arse of himself quickly fading.

Harry's words didn't make sense at first until Draco stepped into the room and started feeling as though his veins were being hollowed out and someone was replacing his blood with thick crude oil. "Harry, what is that?" he asked, hoping Harry understood and knowing instinctively he would.

"It's your magic sapping away," Harry told him, watching as panic flittered through the blonde's eyes. "It's not permanent. It's only a ward I have on this room. It keeps me from doing any damage in my sleep. I've had a few dreams that sent it over the edge."

"I've never felt magic dampening wards before, only heard of them. Harry, how can you sleep with this feeling?" he asked incredulously.

"It's better than the alternative," Harry defended. "I almost killed Ron when he lived with me at Grimmauld place. I blew up an entire floor in my sleep and the floor above it collapsed in, crushing Ron with rubble."

Draco went to Harry's side, crawling up onto the bed and pulling him into a hug. The Gryffindor professor looked near tears as he recounted his story, something that was clearly hard for him to talk about.

It was as he ran his hands through Harry's raven locks that he realized where he was. In Harry's room, on Harry's bed and with an only partially dressed Harry no less. He pressed a kiss into Harry's forehead, and more against his cheek, slowly along his jaw and then hovered just an inch away from Harry's lips, so close he could feel Harry's breath tickle his tongue.

He kissed Harry then, not really waiting for permission. Harry let himself be pushed back to the mattress, his hands splayed above him in submission as Draco raked his fingers down his side. He was going to have him, going to possess Harry once and for all and then he would finally be able to cast him from his mind.

Harry shifted beneath him, grinding his erection into Draco's thigh and Draco pressed onward, tugging at the drawstring on Harry's pants. A sharp gasp sounded from Harry's lips, and the boy's eyes were like green fire as he looked at Draco and shook his head.

"Are you really trying to take advantage of me when I'm vulnerable?" Harry asked, almost begging Draco to lie and say no.

Draco sighed and pulled his leg up to mask his own painful erection. "Clearly it didn't work," he muttered, trying for humor, but there was no humor in Harry's eyes.

"Out," he said firmly, pointing toward the door and Draco blanched.

"I thought I could distract you-" he began but Harry cut him off with a sharp glare.

"I. Said. Get. Out," he repeated, each word like a biting sting across Draco's pale flesh.

"Harry, I'm sorry," he called over his shoulder as the other boy shoved him toward the door.

He could tell as he reached the threshold, both by the magic rushing back into his body and by the sharp pain of Harry's power digging into his arm, that he was outside of the power draining wards. It was like the spark of static electricity flicking into his flesh over and over.

"Ow," Draco complained, pulling his arm from Harry's grasp and looking to see if the other man had left a mark. Harry looked down too, his face mottled with concern and anger, but when he saw no residual harm on Draco's skin he shut the door sharply in the blonde's face.

Draco shuddered, wondering if he had ruined things once and for all with Harry. He had been hurting and Draco could only think of sleeping with him. It was disgraceful, and the very reason why he wouldn't agree to date the Gryffindor professor. He was undeserving of the kind of love Harry wanted to dole out. Draco was often thoughtless, tactless and completely inconsiderate. He had never been able to make a relationship work, and failing at being with Harry was just something he couldn't live with.

The man was perfect in nearly every way, and if Draco still managed to fuck things up, it meant there was no hope whatsoever.

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Harry stewed in his quarters for over an hour, first pacing back and forth along the wide expanse of rich red marble that was inlaid into his wood flooring, then showering in his open frosted glass shower before finally dressing and taking a deep breath to go and face Draco.

When he stepped outside he noticed faint white footprints leading away from and toward his door and he followed them into the kitchen, which was covered in a thick layer of white powder. Underneath it all, on his hands and knees was Draco, scrubbing at the floor and cursing under his breath.

"Draco?" Harry called, wondering what the boy was doing trying to clean up such a vast mess without the assistance of magic.

"Harry," he squeaked, obviously startled. "I had hoped to have it all cleaned up before you came out."

"You're doing a great job," he lied as he scanned the smoking oven and the flour-strewn countertops. He felt immediately guilty for throwing Draco out earlier, remembering that he was there in the first place to bring him a breakfast that he obviously had a fit while creating.

"Right," Draco replied with a bark of harsh laughter.

"Can I ask why you're not just using magic?" Harry asked.

"It serves me right to clean this mess up like a muggle after how I treated you. I'm really sorry, Harry. I just-" but Harry cut him off with a shake of his head, his heart warming instantly to the blonde.

"No apologies," Harry said firmly. Sometimes his attraction to Draco overshadowed his own good intentions, so he understood. It was just hard to take as it happened, knowing that he cared more for his body than his feelings. "So what did you make?" he asked, changing the subject.

Draco blushed and pointed to the partially blackened pie on the counter.

"Apple pie?" Harry asked, his eyebrow shooting up at the irony, but Draco shook his head.

"Not just any apple pie. Tart fine aux pommes," he corrected. "It's an old family recipe."

Harry went over and poked it once with his finger, watching as a black chunk flaked off and crumbled to the counter. "Is it supposed to be burnt?"

Draco laughed, his whole body shaking with it. "No, of course not. I'm not as good in the kitchen as I had once thought, especially not next to you," he offered. "I cut off the least burnt piece to give you but that slice is smeared across your floor," he added.

How about I help you clean up this mess and then I make us lunch," Harry offered.

With a nod and a smile, Draco agreed, happy that he hadn't ruined his friendship with Harry at least.

Harry raised his wand and began swiftly taking care of the mess. He directed the flour and liquids into the sink, which slowly washed them down the drains and then started working on scrubbing up the pans.

He was washing a particularly heavy pot, lifting and scrubbing it with his magic, when he felt the first telltale sign of his magic growing out of his comfort zone. It began to tingle across his flesh and created an almost wind-like barrier around him, a barrier he knew from experience would protect him, and only him from harm.

"Draco, get out of here," he ordered, his voice thick with panic for the blonde.

Draco took one look at him and obviously saw or felt the power trickling from Harry's flesh and moved to flee the kitchen.

It seemed like slow motion, Draco slipped on some small mess left on the floor, his body flying backward and his head cracking sharply on the floor. Harry fell to his knees with a scream, his whole body hurting like it was on fire, and feeling no way to stop his magic from spilling out and killing Draco in the blast.

With fists clenched, Harry looked at Draco's form and tried to reign in the magic. He brought it back inside himself like it was a blanket he could pull tighter around his body. He let it encircle him and brought the ring of power closer and closer until he could feel it dissipate inside his own skin. A feeling that could be likened to the biting sting of broken glass against fragile flesh, or salt being rubbed into an open wound assaulted him when the magic pulled back, but he fought past it with everything he was.

He gritted his teeth and bore down on the magic, shoving it deep down inside of him and locking it up tightly, Draco's pale face still hovering in his mind. When, at last, the feeling of fire ants crawling around underneath his skin disappeared, he gave a weak sigh and looked at the mop of blonde hair not ten feet from him. He could have hurt or killed Draco, but he didn't; he could have destroyed his house but he managed to control it, and though reigning the power back in was excruciatingly painful; it was worth it not to injure Draco.

As he crawled on hands and knees over to where Draco was laying on the floor, he let his eyes flicker around to see what Draco had slipped on and saw nothing at all. Then as his eyes trailed over Draco's face, seeing the slight smirk curling on his lips and his eyelids fluttering as if trying to hold them closed, he knew why.

Draco had been faking.

"You are such an arse," Harry shouted, a mixture of relief that he wasn't hurt and annoyance that Draco had tricked him lacing his voice. "I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't," Draco replied, propping himself up on his elbows.

"You didn't know that I wouldn't," Harry growled, his annoyance winning over his concern for the sneaky blonde.

"I did know it. You care for me too much to have let your power hurt me," Draco said resolutely, his eyes sparkling as if challenging Harry to argue.

Harry could only sigh, knowing that Draco's words were true, and it had been precisely that thought which kept him from destroying all that he saw. If it had just been him there and not Draco, the house would have been a smoldering ruin by now. "It was an awfully big risk," Harry whispered, his body moving inexplicably closer to Draco's.

"I want to help you," Draco replied, his own voice a low whisper to match Harry's. "I want to help you get it under control so that you won't have to worry anymore."

"Why would you do that?" Harry asked, but Draco merely shrugged, a small grin forming on his perfect pink lips and before Harry knew it, he was kissing that perfect mouth, the blood which had just a moment before been pulsing frantically through his veins, now sang out in delight at the blonde's wish to help him.

All his life he had been the protector, the teacher, the savoir, but for once he would be the vulnerable one, the one who needed saving and Draco it seemed would be his hero.

Authors Note: In case you haven't already seen, I posted the first chapter of a new short story I'm working on called 'Poppet'. It was originally supposed to be a oneshot birthday present for Robert, and has since turned into a multichapter fic. It's still going to be short-ish, but no longer a oneshot. Please check it out and let me know what you think!


	13. Better to Have

Authors Note: Many thanks to my friend and beta Robert for his work on this chapter

Chapter 13 Better to Have

Harry kissed Draco's perfect mouth, letting his tongue dip inside and taste him. He tasted of cinnamon and apples, as if the blonde had quality checked the pie that he had baked just for him.

Draco responded but kept his hands planted firmly at his sides, clearly not wanting to push Harry away again by being too bold. When Harry finally broke the kiss Draco sighed contentedly. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For offering to help me. It was a very sweet and selfless gesture and I appreciate it," Harry told him with a smile.

"Who said it was selfless? Maybe if I help you I'll get a reward" Draco replied playfully.

"Oh? And what kind of reward would you be expecting for your services?" Harry asked, his tone reflecting more humor than his heart felt. Yet again Draco seemed to be proving that he thought Harry only had sex to offer.

"Well… I'd need to keep staying here I think, even after my house is done," he mused. "Only to be able to monitor your progress closely, of course," he added hastily. "I wouldn't want you to think that I _wanted_ to stay or anything."

Harry rolled his eyes but smiled in spite of himself. The pain from reigning in his magic still tingled through his skin, but Draco's words pleased him. Despite the Slytherin Professor's protests, Harry knew that part of Draco was as infatuated with him as he was with Draco.

"Any other payment you would require?" he asked.

Draco shrugged elegantly, quite the feat for someone still covered in flour, and smiled cheekily at Harry. "I'm sure I could think of something else if you pressed me."

Harry stood and offered his hand to Draco who took it at once. He was pleased to note the easy trust that settled over their friendship even from the start. Neither of them seemed to hold grudges about the past – they had been children, after all – and both seemed to see something in the other that made them perfect companions. Yet, Draco obviously still didn't want to acknowledge that there was more there than just a solid friendship and sexual tension.

There was much more than that, and Harry wanted to explore it, but he couldn't without Draco's permission, and Draco would only ever let Harry have the key to his body, not his heart. That much was clear.

"What is it about me that makes you say no?" he blurted, suddenly wanting a direct answer from the man who constantly evaded his questions.

"No to what?" Draco asked, looking slightly perplexed and slightly like he was buying himself time to answer.

"To us, to a relationship," Harry elaborated.

Draco sighed, dropped all eye contact and went back to cleaning the kitchen again. "I never said it was about you."

"I don't understand," Harry stated, walking up behind Draco, turning the man around to face him, and cupping his perfect jaw to force their eyes to meet.

"_I _would be rubbish for you. _I_ would mess everything up. _I_ would make you regret ever having

fancied me," Draco sighed. "It's all me."

Harry pulled him close, so that their noses were almost touching and their breath mingled together. Draco's chest rose rapidly and Harry ran his hands through his smooth flour dusted hair. "What if I didn't let you mess it up. Would you try?"

"I…" Draco began, the fear in his eyes making Harry want to kiss it all away.

"You can help me with my magic and I can help you with your relationship issues," Harry offered.

"And if I still mess it all up?" Draco asked, looking forlorn.

"And if my magic still gets out of control?" Harry countered.

Draco sighed and nodded. "I get your point. I'll think about it, okay? It's not that I don't think you're worth it, Harry. I do. I'm just… I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you, and that's sort of my specialty."

Harry nodded and nibbled lightly on Draco's bottom lip, making the other man groan.

"I don't understand why you're putting so much energy into me when any wizard, or witch for that matter, would sell their soul for a single date with you."

"I want you, Draco. I haven't met a single wizard, or witch for that matter," he added with an amused smile, "who captivates me the way you do," Harry answered. "So, you'll think about it? Seriously think about it?"

Draco smiled and shrugged once again. "I already think about it, I haven't stopped since I moved in here," he said and turned away quickly to finish cleaning up the mess he had made that morning.

With a flurry of activity and a few hours of time invested, the kitchen was finally restored to its original luster. Harry was practically floating after Draco's admission that he already thought about caving into Harry's request to try things as a couple. He didn't know what it was about his old school rival that made him fight so hard, but he felt alive when Draco was near. He felt like everything in his life could be as delicious as the meals he cooked for everyone else.

Draco was handsome; there was no denying that. Even as a boy Harry thought so, but there was more to him than looks, otherwise Draco was right and he could just pick up any wizard to fill the gap in his life. But no, Draco was clever, which didn't mean he was merely smart, but he was also witty and scheming and naturally quite brilliant. He was also dry and sarcastic, which Harry couldn't deny he loved about him. Best of all he was argumentative, which would probably be a frustrating thing to anyone else, but Harry felt his heart warm to Draco every time the Slytherin Professor challenged him.

It was a rare trait to find in a world where he was the hero and celebrity. Most people just listened to his every word and clung to it as if it were gospel, so much so that he had gone through a phase where he was constantly making things up, telling people obviously made up stories that were complete rubbish just to see if someone would call him a liar.

But few did. He could always count on Hermione and Ron of course. They would always be there to ground him if his head became too large, and then there was Severus, and of course Minerva and Andromeda, but outside of that tight knit circle Harry had no one. Clearly he couldn't date a portrait, and he shivered at the thought of a sexual relationship with his boss or Mrs. Tonks.

In all his many ventures into the world of dating, he had never found any man willing to treat him as a normal person. He briefly thought about dating a muggle, but his lifestyle really wouldn't mesh well with a a man who had no magical abilities. How could he ask someone to uproot their lives in such a way, twist around everything they thought to be true, and he had little time to spare these days anyhow.

Then came Draco Malfoy, who practically fell into his lap at just the right moment. Harry's last breakup had left him unwilling to date again and he had resolved himself to being only Teddy's godfather and a Hogwarts Professor for the rest of his days. But Draco inserted himself into his life – much to his initial dismay – and Harry was immediately smitten.

It seemed that finally fate was trying to make up for the tragic mess it had made of his life, and as he looked across the kitchen at Draco's flour coated robes and his slightly disheveled hair, he knew he was in love with the man and would do anything to get Draco to love him back.

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Icy cold water trailed down Draco's pale white flesh as he scrubbed the flour from his body and hair and tried to scrub the impure thoughts from his mind.

He didn't know what had come over him to pull a stunt like faking unconsciousness and offering to help Harry with his magical dilemma. Truth be told he was afraid. Not afraid of Harry's magic, because he had proven earlier that same day that he could control it with the proper motivation, but it scared him that Harry's motivation had been him and he didn't want to bind himself more completely to the Gryffindor hero.

He had spent his entire school career doing his best to get Harry's attention with cruelness. Then when school ended and he thought he might never see Harry again he panicked at the idea of it. He then tried to get into Auror training so that he could spend a few more years at the Gryffindor's side, but he wasn't accepted into the program because of his sordid past.

Draco had been thrilled to read in the _Prophet_ that Harry's engagement to the Weasley girl had gone belly up and, as he plotted his next move to try and ensnare the man's attention, he was startled by a new revelation.

It was the same year Harry had finished Auror training and taken the job at Hogwarts. It was a move that Draco recalled being surprised by at first, but the more he thought of it the more fitting a career choice it seemed for the former leader of Dumbledore's Army. Draco had gone into Hogsmeade, attempting to 'accidentally' run into his old rival when he did just that.

He walked into the Three Broomsticks and saw Harry in the corner, but the man he had been tailing for years was not alone, but instead he was snuggling up to another man.

It was no one that Draco recognized, but his world spun out of control all the same that day. He left completely disgusted with Harry, thinking that the man he had deemed his only worthy opponent was far less worthy than he had originally assumed. He couldn't fathom how someone like Harry, handsome and intelligent and a celebrity to boot could possibly be _gay_.

It took Draco precisely four days and a picture of Harry on the cover of _W.Q_ magazine before he realized that his obsession with the boy he had grown up fighting against wasn't based on hatred at all.

He was in love with Harry bloody Potter.

The idea of being with Harry came unbidden to his mind that day, and he realized that the connection he had been searching for all those years was embodied in his old rival, but he also realized he would never attain it.

Harry hated him. Simple and pure, and that was how Draco had wanted it: that was the effect Draco fought to instill in the Gryffindor's mind and he knew it was far too late to change Harry's mind now. Instead, he buried himself.

He buried himself in work, developing cutting edge potions for the Ministry for Magic. He buried himself in the Manor, secluding himself from all but his mother and the occasional house elf. But worst of all he buried himself in men. One after another, Draco became the master of one night stands, never staying with someone for more than a week. It was mostly muggles, because he didn't need such a reputation following him around the wizarding world, but he never felt anything for any of them.

Then, nearly a decade later, Minerva contacted his mother and he was offered a job. A Professorship at Hogwarts, working at Harry's side every day, something he would have jumped at the chance of just a few years before. He refused it outright though, wanting to move on from his obsession with the Gryffindor celebrity and put it all behind him, but then Harry himself showed up to extend the position to him.

He thought, upon seeing his trim build and wind tousled hair in person for the first time in years, that perhaps he could eliminate the burden of being in love with Potter if only he could sleep with him. It had worked with every other man he had met, why not the petulant Gryffindor as well.

It hadn't worked though.

Draco became more and more infatuated with Harry the more he got to know of him. He was strong and sensitive, intelligent and proud, funny and thoughtful. He was a great father to Teddy, an excellent cook, and Draco couldn't seem to get enough of him. He went from thinking his original plan to sleep with Harry and get his love-sickness cured was a brilliant idea to thinking it was rubbish and that sleeping with Harry would only pull him deeper down the rabbit hole.

What he had known – and what he still knew now – was that a relationship with Harry would be impossible. At some point all that anger and distrust would crop up and ruin things between them; Draco would wither and die if he messed things with Harry once he had finally attained his most desired prize.

He didn't want his heart broken, and he didn't think it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. He strongly believed it was better to have kept your distance than to have love cripple your existence.

When Draco stepped out of the shower, fresh and clean and still full of impure thoughts, he dressed and left his room. The hall was dark, practically pitch with blackness and he was forced to cast a _lumos_ charm in order to see at all.

As he rounded the corner and peered into the kitchen, he saw a faint glow through the French doors coming from the garden beyond. As soon as he opened the door the notes of _Claire De Lune _floated to his ears and he frowned as he saw the source of the light.

Golden candelabras hovered over a small table set for two and Draco went pale. Harry must have set it up while he was in the shower. As the sun set over the horizon and cast a rich red hue over the garden, Draco couldn't think of anything so romantic… which was a problem.

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Harry gaped as he walked onto the back patio and saw Draco standing awkwardly beside a romantically set table. His heart fluttered as he thought of Draco going to the extra effort to show Harry that he wanted a relationship. At last he was getting exactly what he wanted.

He walked up to Draco and kissed him deeply until he noticed that Draco was not returning the gesture as he usually did, or at least not without a heavy sense of tension in his body.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pushing a stray lock of Draco's hair behind his ear.

Draco shook his head lightly and forced a smile. "Nothing," he responded, not fooling him for a moment, but Harry assumed he was just nervous about his big step toward coupledom.

"Just relax," he whispered and Draco nodded, taking his seat as Harry did.

Draco fidgeted nervously and looked everywhere but at Harry, and Harry tried to calm him by pouring them both a glass of the chardonnay that was resting in the center of the table.

Harry tried to keep the grimace from his lips as he sipped on the wine. It was a sweet gesture for Draco to go to all this trouble and he wanted to show his appreciation, not turn his nose up at the wine selection.

"I usually like reds," Draco commented lightly, frowning at his own glass.

"I'm a fan of Pinot Noir's myself," Harry admitted, feeling it was okay not to like the wine since Draco didn't.

A confused look passed through Draco's eyes but he just shrugged and set his glass down. Harry didn't have time to ask him about it because he nearly dropped his glass when a house elf popped unbidden to his side laden with a large silver tray.

Dishes filled with salad components hovered to set in front of each of them and bottles of oil and vinegar coated the tops of the salads before the house elf disappeared with another crack.

Draco took a bite of the crisp green leaves and Harry frowned across the table at him. "I really don't like the use of house elves at my home," he told Draco, who only nodded.

"I know," he said and took another bite as if he were confused by Harry's sudden distaste.

Harry stared dumbfounded at Draco, who casually admitted to knowing of his dislike of using house elves and didn't seem to care that it was upsetting to him. "So you knew it would upset me?"

Draco shrugged and swallowed his mouthful of food. "I suspected it might."

Gaping, Harry could only shake his head in dismay. "Then why would you do it?"

"Do what?" Draco asked, completely perplexed.

"Use the house elf," Harry replied exasperatedly.

Draco looked around as if trying to see if there was someone else Harry's anger was really directed toward. "I didn't."

"So you didn't summon him here with that salad your inhaling?" Harry asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I didn't eat anything today!" he shouted defensively. "We cleaned well through lunch and then I felt filthy and showered and when I came out here I see this," he said, gesturing to the table and the floating candles.

A lump formed in Harry's throat as he realized he was the world's biggest idiot. "So you didn't do all this," Harry whispered.

"No," Draco protested at once. "Why would you think-" he began, but stopped as he saw the dejected look on Harry's face. "Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I wouldn't or shouldn't or," but Harry didn't hear the rest as he got up from the table and made a hasty exit.

Clearly he expected too much from the man he coveted, but after the breakfast, it didn't seem like such an obtuse conclusion to come to that Draco had arranged their dinner. He just wanted Draco to be as in love with him and he was with Draco, and he apparently couldn't expect that to happen any time soon, or maybe ever.

At the moment though, he just wanted to lock himself in his room and hide from Draco's pitying eyes. Did Draco see the yearning inside of him? Was he just trying to appease Harry with his flirtations and promising to think on a relationship? Perhaps he only offered to help him with his magic in order to repay some debt he felt he owed to Harry for letting him stay in his home.

He ignored the knocks and the telltale signs of unlocking charms being cast and failing. "Harry, please, would you just talk to me?" Draco called through the door.

"I'm letting you off the hook, Draco. I'm sorry. I never should have pushed you, and now I've made an arse of myself," Harry called back. "Just forget everything. We'll just stay friends, and pretend tonight didn't happen."

Draco was silent on the other side of the door and Harry assumed he had gone back to his own room when he heard Draco's voice, soft yet firm, coming through the door. "I don't want to be friends with you, Harry."

Harry sank to his floor, clutching at the fibrous strands of his rug and gritted his teeth. He had apparently pushed Draco too far, so far that the beautiful man no longer wanted him as even a friend.

"I want more than that. I _need_ more than that," Draco called, making Harry look up as if he could see Draco's face through the door.

Harry got up slowly and unlocked the door, letting it open enough to show Draco's lovely and hungry face. "What?" he asked, prompting Draco to continue.

"We work together, we're friends, we live together for Merlin's sake, Harry. Stop hiding in here and come get dinner with me," he offered.

Harry forced a smile and shook his head. "You go. I think I've had enough excitement for one evening."

"Harry," he groaned. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just… it wasn't me. If it makes you feel any better, I thought it was you who set it all up," Draco added with a playful smile, obviously trying to cheer him.

It didn't.

"Which was why you were so uncomfortable," Harry deduced wisely, wanting to smack himself for ever letting his delusions run away with his reason. "Draco, please go get yourself some dinner, or help yourself to anything in the kitchen… only less mess this time, okay?" he added, trying his best to smile at Draco in a way that would not let the man in on his inner turmoil.

Draco only sighed, clearly not fooled and after hesitating for a moment, walked away, back down the hall toward the kitchen. When the next series of knocks came, Harry ignored them until they died away. When he stepped out into the hall he nearly tripped over a platter there. It was a plate with a single slice of burnt apple pie.

Smiling sadly to himself, Harry took it into his room and ate it, each bite making him wish that Draco was his but knowing that it wouldn't happen. Each bite resolving him to let his attentions wane and to shove away his feelings for the man so that he could repurpose himself back on work and Teddy.

That was all he needed.

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Authors Note: Who needs a slice of sad apple pie? It's flavored with tears and pity.


	14. Desperate Times Call For

Authors Note: A million thanks to Shannon for her beta work on this chapter!

Chapter 14 Desperate Times Call For

In the tiny flower covered cottage, nestled in the back of Harry's well-tended garden, three women plotted once again to try and steer the fates of their two favorite boys in the same direction. The tea was warm, the biscuits were a rich chocolate but the conversation was gloom ridden.

"We've really bollixed it up this time haven't we?" Minerva chastised herself and the other two women gathered in Andromeda's sitting room.

"I just don't know what went wrong. I mean, clearly we all know what went wrong, between the bungled up dinner and the fiasco afterward, but what I don't understand is why it's taking so much work in the first place to get these boy's to see what is directly in front of their noses," Narcissa huffed.

"It seems we've underestimated their tendency to lean toward blindness, perhaps they need something more… drastic to open their eyes?" Andromeda suggested.

"Something that will preferably not blow up in our faces this time," her sister warned.

"Fair enough, but what? These boy's are unpredictably daft when it comes to each other," Andromeda mused.

"Harry needs someone to take care of, someone to save. Perhaps we could do something that would trigger his innate savior complex and somehow indebt Draco to him," Minerva presented and the other women nodded thoughtfully.

"Grief usually brings people together," Andromeda offered. "I could always fake my death."

Minerva rolled her eyes and shook her head curtly. "No, there is no shortage of grief for either of them. That might just send one or both over the edge."

"Maybe just an illness then?" she suggested.

"But one of us falling ill wouldn't be enough," Narcissa noted with a wicked smile.

"Are you volunteering someone?" Andromeda asked, looking more and more curious.

"I think you know my meaning exactly," she replied, a fierce glint in her pale blue eyes and the three women began to cackle once more.

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Harry paced up and down the narrow expanse of his Hogwarts office in a funk. He'd been trying to balance work and living with a man he had immense feelings for and attempting to make things work.

He was failing miserably.

Last time he had made up his mind to place his feelings for Draco on a shelf he simply avoided the man. With both of them as professors in the same school and sleeping across the hall form one another made that difficult, especially when Minerva kept finding tasks for them that would throw him and Draco together. So instead of avoidance, he was trying to simply remind himself of all the reasons he had hated Draco as a child and all the reasons why he was a bad match.

That didn't work as well as he had hoped however, and by the end of the experiment he had reminded himself of more good than bad. If he tried to think about Draco's abhorrent use of the word 'mudblood' as a teenager, he was quickly reminded of the fact that as a professor, Draco gave detention to no less than a dozen students for using the word _and_ made them write a three meter long parchment on why it was inappropriate and ignorant to speak that way.

With that idea going so poorly he decided to attempt to think of things about the Draco he knew now that made him all wrong for a relationship. All he could think of was the carefree smile that erupted on the man's face when they flew or watched a muggle film or the way he doted on Teddy.

At last he realized that it wasn't a matter of whether _Draco_ was right, it was all up to what Draco thought about him as a potential match and clearly his colleague didn't see him in the same light. He just had to accept the fact and move on, perhaps find someone else to distract him until Draco moved out.

Though avoidance was out of the question, Harry did start limiting what time he did spend around Draco. They would leave the house and the office together, but the evenings and weekends often found Harry in his room or meandering around Hogsmeade alone.

The whole situation left Harry feeling unwell and generally trapped. He couldn't seem to get Draco out of his head even though he knew he needed to get over him. Things would get better, he knew, when Draco's own house was finished. His guest had tried on a couple occasions to try and get him to practice his magic, but Harry didn't want to obligate Draco to stay any longer than he needed and prolong both their torture.

He could sense Draco was having just as much trouble trying to maintain a balance between them and it would just be easier if the only times they saw one another was at work, where they were both adept at keeping a professional front.

They would only have to keep up the charade for three weeks, three miserably long weeks, and then Harry would be free to mope around his home without an audience.

At least that was what he had thought when he woke up that morning.

His plans for solitude were quickly dashed however when he got to the Great Hall that day for lunch. He was trying to ignore the fact that Draco had yet to arrive and attempting to swallow a bite of the stew he had been served when the tardy professor finally arrived. He strode purposefully up to where he always sat and pulled the chair out, creating a horrid scrapping noise against the floorboard, and sat, seemingly out of breath.

"I need a favor," he told Harry right off, not looking at him and instead choosing to stir his own bowl of steaming soup.

Harry rolled his eyes and waved for Draco to continue, but the other man hesitated. Finally when Harry was about to demand he just spit it out, Draco dropped the bomb.

"They won't be finished with my house for another month," he muttered.

Breathing eluded him and Harry started to feel every muscle in his body begin to tense. Seven weeks? He didn't thin he could stand seven more weeks of walking on eggshells and trying to pretend that everything was okay.

"I told you that you were welcome as long as you wanted," Harry replied sullenly. It was true, he had said those words, and Harry never went back on his word. Though he was as near to making an exception to that rule than he had ever been before.

Even when he had promised Hermione that he would be there when she delivered her first baby, and then when he arrived she was in the middle of labor and he almost lost his lunch, he stuck it out and stayed to help. He felt less like backing down in that moment with Hermione than he did just then with a much simpler request from Draco.

Draco however just took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks, Harry. You're a good friend."

Harry wanted to shove something sharp into his eye socket at those words. "Right. Friend," he muttered and ignored Draco when the Slytherin professor asked him to repeat himself.

All of this led to Harry pacing his office and resisting the urge to rip every book from the shelves and hurl them across the room.

When Draco walked in Harry barely even noticed until the blonde professor shoved an opened scroll in front of him and shook it slightly.

"Do you recognize this language?" he asked petulantly and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Are you joking?" Harry replied, batting the document away.

"No," Draco muttered. "I was trained in dozens of languages and dialects but I've been looking over this off and on for days and can't make heads or tails of it," he admitted reluctantly.

"It's English, you prat," Harry replied, not understanding why Draco would orchestrate such nonsense.

Draco narrowed his eyes and shoved the parchment in front of Harry's face again. "I'm not daft. This is _not_ English; it's something else entirely. It seems like I can read it for a second and then it all blurs out and becomes gibberish again.

Harry sighed and began reciting directly from the scroll, his voice letting Draco know how ridiculous he thought this all was. "In order to brew a proper adulation banish potion, one must know the reason and source intimately. It's impossible to break one persons infatuation with another without understanding fully the reasons for it, thus selecting the proper ingredients for the potions catalyst. For example, wormwood should be used if the person in question has evil intentions surrounding their feelings, versus the use of catnip if one merely wants to more fully sever the ties after a failed relationship."

Draco's eyes had gone glossy and it appeared as though he wasn't even paying attention to Harry, except that his steely gray eyes were locked onto his lips. "Are you even listening to a word I said?" Harry demanded.

"I was listening, but I wasn't so much hearing," Draco admitted. "Though it does explain a good deal," he added with a goofy grin that Harry had never seen on the man before.

"What does it explain exactly?" Harry asked, looking over the text again and not liking what he saw.

"Those directions are in Parseltongue, or at least that was what you just slipped into just then," Draco informed him. "It's funny how you don't see any difference between that language and your own," he mused.

"I didn't realize," Harry muttered.

"Clearly," Draco replied. "Now do you mind telling me what the parchment says in _proper _English?"

"Why don't you tell me why you're trying to read it in the first place," Harry demanded. "Am I really such a lovesick dolt that you feel the need to medicate me with potions? Are my affections really so burdensome to you?"

"What? No, Harry you're getting the wrong idea," he replied looking worried.

"It seems pretty clear what this is about," Harry whispered, unable to understand why Draco was putting him through this, why he didn't just find lodging at the Three Broomsticks, money certainly wasn't an issue for the Malfoy heir and even if it were, Harry would gladly pay for it himself at this point.

"Let me just save you the trouble and tell you though," he continued. "You'll need to use lemongrass in the potion, because obviously my feelings for you are irrational and unfounded," Harry shouted, tossing the parchment to the floor and stalking over to the fireplace.

He didn't spare Draco even one last look before he threw a handful of powder into the fire and left in the center of a bright green flame, leaving Draco staring after him with barely contained grief.

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Draco stared into the dissipating flame for so long that green clouded his vision every time he blinked for a full minute.

Yet again Harry had misunderstood his intentions, and yet again a thorough mess was made. Had Draco known the potion instructions were in Parseltongue he never would have brought it up to him for translation. He honestly didn't think that Harry stood a chance of deciphering the text when even _he_ couldn't do so with his extensive background in ancient languages.

All he wanted was a reason to talk to Harry, and the raven-haired professor had made it clear that he would only discuss work related topics. It was sort of a last ditch effort, and he thought he should at least try to get Harry to talk to him. He even thought that he stood a chance at tricking the other man into a non-Hogwarts related subject for a change and perhaps even sneak in an apology.

He knew what the scroll was for of course and he had been trying, as he told Harry, to translate it for quite some time. It was not because he wished to douse Harry with the potion however; it was because he wanted to take it himself. The loneliness he felt all the time was just compounded by the fact that Harry refused to even speak to him and he was hoping to alleviate some of his pain with the affection banishment potion.

Unexpectedly, Draco found that he missed Harry dearly. The man was right there, sharing a workplace and sleeping across the hall, but he felt so much further than that, as if Harry were a continent away instead of right beside him. It was excruciating really to think that his once laughter filled evenings with his former school rival were now reduced to awkward silence and bitter resentment.

He could hardly blame Harry for wanting to keep his distance. It was his own stunted emotions that made Harry doubt himself in the first place. He just couldn't seem to find a way to take it back, or to make it better. He had even tried bribing away the Time Turner from the Headmistress but she had merely clucked her tongue at him and told him that if he wanted to make it right, he needed to go about it honestly.

Honesty didn't come easy to him, not since spending the better portion of his life under his father's thumb and his constant encouragement to hide every emotion, good or bad, from the world. He tried to fight against some of it, but could hardly repair so many years of bad habits in a day.

At least he knew now what he wanted, and that was Harry. He wasn't going to let his typical Malfoy traits stand in the way of that any longer he would just tackle the man and tell him he loved him if that was what it took.

Swiftly, Draco made his way to the fireplace and followed after his angry companion. The house was dark when he arrived, and the emptiness he felt immediately upon entering Harry's study unsettled him greatly.

As he made his was down the rich wooden staircase, Draco stumbled on the final step and went sprawling head first toward the ground. Before he could reach the hard floorboards however, dainty arms were there to catch him, albeit awkwardly, and lifted him to his feet.

Draco's eyes flicked up and recognized the intruder at once, even under the thick navy cowl. "Mother? What in Merlin's name are you doing skulking around in the dark?" he asked. "Did you see where Harry went?"

"He's in his room, dear. Nothing to worry over," Narcissa cooed and pulled a vial from her robe pocket. "I need you to drink this," she ordered. It was phrased as a polite request, but as her son, Draco knew the difference.

"Why?" he asked, looking at the thick green potion curiously.

"Do you want Harry Potter?" she asked knowingly, her eyes sparkling in the faint light that filtered in through the front windows.

"How did you-" Draco began but was swiftly cut of by a hissed admonishment and a perfectly manicured finger over his lips.

"It doesn't matter how I know, it only matter that if you want him, you need to take this," she replied haughtily.

Draco reluctantly took the vial and upended it in an easy movement and grimaced at the taste. He recognized it at once though and clutched at his throat in a furious yet vain attempt to stop the potion from seeping into the rest of his body. "Mother, that was-" he rasped but couldn't finish the sentence before his tongue began feeling itchy and sore.

Narcissa took him by the elbow and steered him over to a nearby armchair where he collapsed at once, his eyes still wide with confusion and anger directed at her. "Poison," she finished for him. "I know dear, but no worries, we have it all under control," she cooed and felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

Draco wanted to scream at her, to protest and tell her she was mad, but sleep clawed at him like a lion ripping into a slow baby gazelle. Soon there was no way to resist and he had no choice but to yield to the jungle cat. His eyes drooped and his body went limp as his world went black and Harry's name lingered as a half whisper on his lips.

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Authors Note: oh no! hehe. I'm void of anything clever to say, so I just hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger, I mean chapter....


	15. Plagued

Authors Note: I often do a little jig when I get back the chapter notes from my brilliant beta, Robert. He's wonderful, clap for him, please. As always I can be found in all sorts of places if ever anyone wanted to chat or had a more specific question about a story/chapter (more about that on my profile)

Chapter 15 Plagued

Draco woke with a headache that seemed to split his skull down the center and shatter it into a million pieces. His face felt flushed and swollen and his eyes were dry and scratchy, though not as much as his throat, which felt like someone had scrubbed it with sandpaper. He tried to summon his wand, but the infernal stick just clattered against his nightstand and remained stubbornly out of reach.

He was able to make out the familiar guest room he'd been sleeping in for several weeks now, but couldn't remember going to bed.

His voice didn't work well enough to enunciate the spell properly, which meant it was going to be a long day to say the least. He certainly didn't feel well enough to brew himself a remedy potion, as he hardly had the energy to ply the covers from his sweat-soaked skin.

He groaned to himself, not understanding how he could wake up so suddenly sick. Draco tried to recall what he had done the previous night, if he had eaten anything foul or seen anyone else that had been feeling unwell, but there was an inconvenient blank space where the previous night's memory should have been.

That fact made him wary and he tried to call for Harry, but quickly realized that Harry was the very last person he wished to see him in his current state. He knew he must look a horrid mess, and if he wanted any chance of winning the Gryffindor professor over it was not through bogey laden kisses or sniffled declarations of love.

Then the part of the evening he did remember flooded back to him, and he recalled Harry storming out of his office. The exact details were hazy, but he was fairly certain Harry had been in a snit over misunderstanding the reason Draco wanted to use one potion or another; he began to wonder if it wasn't, in fact, Harry who had left him in his current state.

However, he quickly banished that thought as it seemed vastly out of character for the Gryffindor professor; no matter how angry he may have been, Draco was sure that Harry wouldn't intentionally hurt him.

The door opened a moment later and Andromeda glided in with a grim smile. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked as soon as the door clicked shut behind her.

"Peachy," Draco rasped, but even the delicious sarcasm he so loved to take part in was lost to him as he could barely mutter even that simple word without it sounding broken.

"I see your illness has not reduced your impertinence," his Aunt replied with narrowed eyes.

"I need a pepper-up potion," Draco complained, but Andromeda simply shook her head.

"It's a common muggle flu, Draco. Potions will do no good for it, best not to waste them," she explained as if to a small child.

"Rubbish," Draco disputed, his voice low and gravelly from the illness. "That's an old wives' tale."

"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm an old wife, so you'll abide by what I say," she countered with crossed arms and a very 'don't bother trying to argue' glare. 'Unless, of course, you feel well enough to take care of yourself today," she dared.

"I'm not a child," he growled, or at least attempted to: instead it came out as a sort of strangled gasp.

Andromeda ignored him and instead waved her wand, opening the doors and levitating a glass and pitcher into the room. Within moments, Draco had a glass of pumpkin juice hovering over him, waiting patiently for him to accept it. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of not taking the goblet just to strain his obstinate Aunt's magic. In the end, however, it was a gamble that he wasn't willing to take because he'd rather drink the liquid instead of wearing it.

He took the offered drink and sipped from it gingerly, the slightly spicy fluid tingling along his throat and somewhat soothing it. "Where's Harry?" he asked, hoping that the man wouldn't just pop in unexpectedly.

"At work of course, though if you were more clever he would be the one doting over you and not me," the older woman groused.

"Is that what you're doing?" Draco replied snidely but she ignored him yet again.

Instead she opted to conjure a tiny brass bell which she placed on his nightstand. "If you need anything, just ring," she instructed and left the room in a huff, invisible storm clouds chasing after her.

Draco loved his Aunt, but he had always found her a bit gruff for his taste. She was nearly the polar opposite of his mother, who was as feminine, sweet and kind as they came and always polite to everyone – even if she secretly loathed them. His Aunt was nowhere near as ghastly as his Aunt Bella though, but he saw Andromeda as a mixture of the two, as if Bellatrix and Narcissa were just a concentrated version of the traits Andromeda portrayed.

He could tell that his Aunt had a soft spot for Harry though, as she often – if not always – took his side in any argument and had been growing increasingly rude to him as Harry grew more and more distant. She seemed to blame Draco alone for their current state of distress.

Clearly it was going to be a very long day.

He felt pitiful, but as the glimmer of the brass bell caught his eye, he reckoned that it wouldn't be just a long day for him. A hint of smirk shadowed across his lips as he reached across and lifted the bell in order to give it a test.

Andromeda bustled in looking slightly concerned and Draco tried to stifle his grin. "I was just checking to be sure it worked," he explained as, with narrowed eyes, his Aunt turned and left looking like she was on the verge of a tantrum, slamming the door behind her.

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Harry's nerves were fried.

He had waited for Draco in his study for nearly half an hour to no avail. At last, he was forced to assume that Draco had gone to Hogwarts without him and make the journey back to work alone. He noted it as odd when Draco didn't show up for lunch, but thought perhaps that he was just grading parchments through the break or taking it in his office for a change. Still, it was not like Draco to completely avoid him so blatantly.

Then when it came time to leave, Harry again waited for the blonde professor but was left to take the floo back home by himself once more.

He barely made it downstairs before a very furious looking Andromeda accosted him. "I've had enough!" she shouted, flailing her hands into the air dramatically.

"Enough of what?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Draco?"

She laughed harshly and narrowed her eyes. "Seen him? I've seen enough of that whiny brat to last me an entire lifetime! He's been ringing that bell nonstop begging for food or liquids or a backrub and moaning the whole time about how miserable he is. My sister coddled that boy far too much," she grumbled and shoved the tray she'd been carrying into Harry's arms.

"He's sick?" Harry asked as the pieces finally began sliding into place.

"Very observant," Andromeda fumed as she started for the front door. "He's your problem now. I'm staying at the Manor tonight," she told him, eyes daring him to challenge her. "Good luck," she added ominously, and then she was gone.

Harry heard the faint tinkling of a bell and smiled softly to himself as he made his way to the back of the house. "I hear you're in need of a backrub," he teased, opening the door to Draco's room. Draco looked as though he had a moment of disorientation before having enough self-awareness to look mortified.

One look and Harry could easily see how sick the man was. Draco reminded him of Teddy when he was ill because of their shared sharp features and pale skin. The blonde was even paler than usual though, and he was bundled up under the bedspread, his cheeks slightly flushed and his lips pallid and thin.

"Where's my Aunt?" Draco demanded, sounding gruff and scratchy.

"You've apparently driven her batty, so now it's my turn to take care of you," Harry replied with a wicked smirk.

Draco groaned and looked hurriedly away at that news. "Well, I'm fine, just a bit of a cold; you can go about your business. No need to worry about me."

"Nonsense, Andromeda says you've been feeling miserable all day," Harry rebuked as he made his way over to the bed, **placing the empty tray Andromeda had passed to him on the nightstand**. "What was it you needed?"

"I might have been exaggerating a smidge," Draco admitted sheepishly. "She's rather amusing when she's mad."

Harry tried to suppress a chuckle and stared down at Draco like he would if Teddy had said the same thing. Clearly Draco reverted to a small child when ill. "That's not very kind, Draco. I've never seen her so frazzled."

"The bell was her idea," Draco countered. "I merely used it when I needed something."

"Which was how often?" Harry asked with mockingly narrowed eyes.

Draco chewed on his bottom lip – a habit he had picked up from spending too much time around the Gryffindor – and stared at the faint scrolling pattern on his bedspread. "I might have used it a few times," he admitted.

"A few as in what? Five, ten, twenty?" Harry asked.

"Higher," Draco replied, a tiny grin curling at the edge of his lips.

Harry shook his head in dismay and promptly removed the bell from his nightstand. "Why Andromeda didn't do this sooner I'll never understand," he muttered.

"She tried. The only spell I managed today was a complex sticking spell so that she couldn't take it away," Draco chuckled lowly, his voice still scratchy from being sick.

"You're incorrigible," Harry replied softly, a smile of his own touching his lips. "So what do you need; juice, soup something to read?"

"Really, Harry, I don't want to pester you," Draco replied.

"Fine: have it your way," Harry noted imperiously and trotted off, leaving Draco staring after him.

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Draco wasn't sure what to make of Harry's hasty exit; he had thought for sure the care-taking Gryffindor would argue with him and insist on tending to him in his sickened state. He didn't have to wonder for long, though, because Harry returned with a tray laden with various bottles and jars.

The sick man eyed them all warily as Harry set the tray down on his nightstand and uncorked the first one. "A pepper-up potion," Harry told Draco unnecessarily. The blonde had – of course – recognized it right away and downed the liquid in one gulp.

"I asked my Aunt for that potion this morning and she claimed it wouldn't work, but I've been taking it to help colds for ages now. It's almost as if she wanted me to stay sick," Draco mused.

"I'm sure she just thinks there are better ways of healing from a cold," Harry replied with a gentle smile. "Madame Pomfrey always says that it doesn't cure the cold, simply keeps you from feeling the symptoms quite so deeply.

The next was just a glass of burgundy liquid, which Draco had at first taken to be a thin wine – cranberry juice. Three other juices were placed within his reach – orange, apple and pumpkin – as well as a cup of hot peppermint tea.

After emptying most of the tray, Harry cast a few cleaning spells on Draco and the bed linens, making the other man feel much fresher but brining a heated blush to his cheeks. The entire time Draco just remained still and watched Harry at work, marveling at how efficient and thorough the man was. It wasn't until Harry made a move toward his robe, spreading the silken folds wide to expose his pale chest that he began to protest.

"Really, Harry, this is all too much," he groaned, eyes wide from the ebony-haired man's hands warm hands hovering above his naked flesh.

Harry pursed his lips, eyes twinkling merrily. "Maybe next time you'll be clever enough to tell me what you require, then. Otherwise, I'm forced to guess and I'll bring the entire wellness regime."

"So I see," Draco muttered amusedly as Harry reached for a short jar sitting on his tray.

"Don't you have other things to do though," Draco bargained, but Harry merely shook his head.

"You're my only patient tonight, Draco. I've got some homemade chicken soup on the stove, but it won't be ready for a bit, so you're stuck with me until then," he announced.

Draco sighed and watched as Harry sat down on the bed next to him and scooped out a thick glob of some greasy looking gel and gasped as that gel was applied liberally to his chest. Eucalyptus and mint fragrances accosted his nose and made it at first hard to breathe, but he slowly became used to the smell and – eventually – it started helping his nose clear.

He blinked back watered eyes and then jumped as Harry grazed one of his nipples while rubbing the greasy substance into his skin.

"Sorry," Harry replied, a faint flush coming to his cheeks as he pulled his hand away.

Draco grabbed Harry's hands and placed them back onto his glowing skin. "No, it's helping," he told Harry and attempted to smile in a way that wouldn't make the other man feel more uncomfortable. In truth Draco just liked the fact that the brunette was touching him.

Harry worked the ointment into Draco's chest, rubbing in slow, circular movements. Draco was trying to not moan as the feeling of Harry's fingertips coupled with the intoxicating vapors from the medicine began to make his head swim. He was just happy that Harry was sitting far enough away to be unable to feel his growing erection.

Harry paused slightly, and Draco thought for a moment that he might have been mistaken about that fact, but then Harry just shifted slightly and got up. "Your soup smells ready. You hungry or should I let it keep simmering?"

"Hungry," Draco replied, not entirely talking about Harry's soup.

Harry shot him a warm smile and then rushed off leaving Draco alone with his feelings.

It was official; Draco was in love with the sweet and stubborn Gryffindor. The fact that he had dropped all anger and resentment from the day before at the idea of Draco being sick and did so much to help him get well made Draco curse himself for not having given into Harry before now.

The man was everything one could want in a partner, and Draco wasn't going to let him go. As soon as Harry came back holding a bowl of steaming liquid, his words failed him once again, however. The brunette professor was poised in the doorway, still wearing his billowing black professor's robes with tight black trousers and a deep burgundy knitted top underneath. He just stared at Draco for a moment, his green eyes seeming to search for something, before he moved forward and handed the bowl over to Draco.

"Careful, it's hot," he warned.

The fragrant herbed broth competed with the aroma of the medicinal ointment but didn't manage to overpower it. It smelled heavenly though, and Draco realized that it had been some time since Harry had cooked for him. He savored the first bite, letting the hot liquid chase away his sore throat and basking in the flavors of butter chicken, herbs and vegetables. It was all perfectly done, as it always was when Harry was the cook.

"Is it okay?" Harry asked and Draco nodded enthusiastically.

"The best soup I've ever eaten," he admitted.

Harry chuckled and smoothed the blankets where he had been sitting before. "Is there anything else you need?" he asked. "Because if not I have a dinner date."

Oh!" Draco nearly shouted, surprise coloring his voice. "I hadn't realized you had plans."

Harry shrugged and fidgeted slightly in place. "It just came up… I could cancel if you think you need me to stay," he offered.

"No!" Draco actually did shout this time – the sound slightly strangled by his sickness – before he realized how desperate it made him look and quieted himself. "No, that's quite alright, Harry. You've been kind enough. I'll probably just go to sleep after I'm through eating," he said, his tone much more even by the time he finished.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Okay, well feel better. I'll check in on you when I get back home."

Draco nodded back and watched Harry leave, his heart sinking into his stomach at the thought of Harry going out on a date with another man while he was stuck in bed unable to do anything about it. He cringed when he thought of Harry giving some other bloke a goodnight kiss on the doorstep and he nearly called the other man back to say that he'd changed his mind and did need him after all.

But that would be selfish.

Not that he was above being selfish, but he was trying to be a better person so that he might be worthy of Harry; he did not want to guilt the man into desiring him through sickly manipulation.

A few minutes later he heard the door shut and knew Harry had left to go on his date. He wondered what the other bloke might look like and how Harry had met him. Was he a visiting Ministry official that Harry had seen at Hogwarts? Was it someone he already knew, or was this their first meeting? Was this new man better looking than him? Doubtful, but still, it was fairly obvious that Harry didn't bank all of his affection on looks. Maybe he had a winning personality and actually had the good sense to tell Harry that he fancied him, which would put him way ahead of Draco in a race for Harry's heart.

Draco groaned and pulled himself out of bed, wobbling into the kitchen where he spent an hour brewing the strongest anti-flu potion he could think of and then dragging himself back to bed. When Harry got home he would tell him how he felt once and for all. He hoped it wasn't too late.

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Andromeda sat daintily on the tufted blue settee on her sister's garden patio and tried to relax with her cup of tea after a harrowing day. It seemed everything had worked out as planned, but with those boys one never knew how they might manage to bungle it.

Narcissa sat across from her, wringing her hands slightly, while Minerva smiled weakly. They had sunken to drastic measures to get the boys to talk, and Andromeda had seen in Harry's eyes how worried he was over Draco's condition and knew instinctively that he would take care of her nephew.

Still, she could tell that Cissy was worried about her son. She hadn't seen him since they administered the antidote and wiped his memory clear of the events from the night before. "I promise you sister, Draco is well and we were successful in our part."

"I know… I just – poisoning my son, even though we knew the antidote would keep him from dying, well, it was harder than I imagined," she whispered.

"I wish we could have traded places," Andromeda muttered. "Your son tried my patience to no end today."

"The very least we could do after nearly killing him is make sure he was taken care of," Narcissa countered, her voice beginning to bristle.

"Draco was nowhere near death, Cissy. The antidote worked just as it was supposed to and kept him from being even remotely damaged, but allowed his body to feel the effects of the poison in other ways," Minerva noted calmly, though she had spent the morning panicked that they had done something wrong until she heard from Andromeda that Draco was fine and just as surly as ever.

"I assure you, Draco felt as though he was experiencing the flu. He even asked me for a 'Pepper Up' potion, thinking it would help him," Andromeda promised.

"You didn't give it to him, did you?" Minerva asked, a tinge of panic in her voice.

"Merlin, no. I'm not daft. It was far too early and mixed with the antidote he would have been nearly recovered before Harry got home. I'm sure he talked the doting hero into fetching him one though. However – even if he did – that should still buy them a few hours together," she informed her cohorts.

"Did you at least give him the bell?" Narcissa asked. "I always give him a bell when he's sick."

"Yes, I gave him the blasted bell just as you insisted and it's all I heard the entire day. He should have been your chore," Andromeda muttered. "I even pretended his sticking charm worked and left it there for him to ring again the moment I left."

A hint of a smile curled Minerva's lips and before a moment she was chuckling at the image of Andromeda acting as nursemaid for the day. She remembered the howling and blown out of proportion mess Draco would make of injuries as a teenager and imagined he wasn't too far different from that as an adult.

"Oh yes, have a laugh. That boy is a downright brat when he's ill and Harry will have his hands full, no doubt," Andromeda grumbled.

"Well, at least it worked. They're stuck together for tonight if nothing else," Minerva reasoned.

"I hope it was worth it," Narcissa added and gave her friends a tight smile. "We could use some good news for a change."

Authors Note: I love the scheming ladies so much. I can't seem to get enough of them, even when they're screwing things up! lol


	16. Sweet Whipped Topping

Authors Note: Many thanks to my lovely beta Robert, who worked his magic on my magic (or my writing anyway). And now the chapter you have all been waiting for. I hope you enjoy!!

Chapter 16 Sweet Whipped Topping

Draco paced the living room feeling immensely better. After taking his potion and a quick three-hour nap, he felt fit as a fiddle. Now he was ready to fight for Harry's affections, starting with the man who was standing on the front step with him right then.

They had been chatting outside for almost an hour from when Draco had woken up and – no matter what angle Draco tried – he couldn't see the face of Harry's date. The man was inconveniently blocked from view at every window Draco looked through, but what he _could_ clearly see was how careless Harry's smile was as he talked to the other man as well as hear the abandon with which he laughed.

"I'm too late," Draco groaned to himself, near to smacking his own face for his poor timing. He might have done just that had not Harry walked in at that very moment, leading his date in behind him.

And here Draco thought Harry had these high and mighty morals that kept him from sleeping with someone until they had been dating awhile. But then maybe they had been dating awhile – Draco _had _been out of the loop for weeks. In fact, he had noticed Harry disappearing in the evenings lately. Had Harry been dating this other man the whole time without Draco's knowledge?

He cleared his throat and both men turned to face him.

"Draco, what are you doing up?" Harry asked worriedly upon catching sight of the blonde. "You're sick."

"I'm feeling better now," Draco admitted, and realized it was the truth when he saw who the other man was. "Longbottom, good to see you again."

Harry looked quizzically between the two men and shook his head in confusion. "I'll see you later if it's alright, Nev."

Neville smiled warmly and patted his friend on the back before waving to Draco and leaving. When the door clicked softly shut, Harry rounded on the smug man.

"Were you spying on me?" he demanded with a slight hint of anger.

"I thought you were on a date and wanted to see who with," Draco replied, growling slightly without realizing it.

"That doesn't excuse it," Harry countered, "and I'm _not_ your property so stop acting like I am."

"I wasn't saying that you were," Draco placated, attempting to soothe the brunette, "and you're right: I was wrong. It's just that, well, I was curious to see who my competition was. However, it was only Longbottom, so there's no need to worry after all."

It didn't work.

"How do you know I wasn't on a date with Neville?" Harry protested.

"Because he'd married to your ex, and you'd never date a married man. Besides, despite Longbottom's affinity for flashy clothes and that all he talks about is flowers, he's not gay," Draco responded matter-of-factly. "Obviously, he's no competition."

"You don't have any competition, Draco, because you've removed yourself from my options," Harry told him bitterly.

"I-" Draco began, but Harry cut him off with a shake of his head.

"It appears you're feeling better, so I'm going to bed," he announced and padded off toward the back of the house.

"Wait," Draco called, feeling something rise up in his chest. "I want to be an option! I want to be the only option!"

Harry paused mid-stride and slowly turned to face the blonde again—his face was an impassive mask "What?"

Draco rushed over to where Harry stood and grabbed his hands, trying to pull him closer but his reluctant paramour wouldn't allow it. "I'm an idiot," he confessed to the other man.

With pursed lips, Harry nodded curtly and narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"I should have told you this ages ago, but late is better than never right?" Draco asked.

"Sometimes," Harry replied, not yet moving his hands away, but not holding on to Draco's either.

"Right well, best just say it then, I suppose." Draco muttered to himself as Harry gave him a deadly 'get on with it' look. "I'm in love with you, Harry."

Harry blinked several times, clearly not expecting Draco's words. A vibrant blush spread across his cheeks and his fingers went rigid in Draco's palm. "Are you trying to play a joke on me, because if so-" he began but Draco cut him off with a kiss.

Harry yielded to Draco's lips at once, using their twined hands to pull the man closer as they wound together in breathless passion. When they broke apart, Harry just stared: unable to form words; fortunately Draco had plenty.

"I've been daft when I should have agreed to a date months ago. You're brilliant, Harry and I don't deserve it, but I'm going to ask anyhow. Will you have dinner with me?" he asked shyly.

"You want to date me?" Harry asked shakily as Draco nodded.

"A proper date where we're seen in public together and hold hands and kiss goodnight," Draco clarified.

Harry chuckled and nodded and pulled Draco against him for another kiss, hovering inches away from the blonde's face. "Yes," he whispered against Draco's welcoming lips before capturing them with his own.

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Harry was trying to get his hair to flatten – and failing miserably – when there was a knock at the front door. He wandered curiously to the living room and peeked out, smiling to himself when he saw Draco standing out front looking delicious and holding a bouquet of wild flowers seemingly clipped from Harry's own was amusing that Draco had actually taken it upon himself to leave the cottage just to come back and pick Harry up.

He opened the door and leaned against the doorjamb. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Proper date," the blonde reminded Harry with a smirk.

Harry laughed and moved aside. "Would you like to come in?"

"How kind," Draco teased. "These are for you," he added, handing the flowers over to Harry.

"Are these from my garden?" he asked, eyeing them carefully as he pecked Draco on the cheek and went into the kitchen to grab a vase.

Draco blushed slightly and followed him into the other room. "I thought they were nicer than anything I saw at the market," Draco admitted.

"That's very thoughtful, thank you. And my, aren't you looking very dapper," he admired. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"It's a surprise, and you're looking very handsome yourself," Draco added, fidgeting slightly.

Harry thought it was adorable that Draco was so nervous and, after placing the flowers in water, they left the cottage through the back, grabbing their brooms on the way.

The sun was setting on the horizon bathing them in vivid pink and purple light as they expertly whirled through the air on their matching brooms. Harry let Draco take the lead since he had no idea where he was going, but never let him get ahead by much. He kept showing off by doing barrel rolls around where Draco hovered and looping around him as if they were chasing the snitch.

When Draco made to land outside the castle entrance, Harry looked over at him curiously. "We're having dinner at Hogwarts?"

"Sort of," Draco replied casually, taking Harry's hand and leading him through the front doors.

They bypassed the Great Hall – just as well, since dinner would have been long over – and headed up to the Gryffindor tower. Draco led Harry up to the same empty dorm where they had once stared at the moon together. The room was as empty as it had been before except for a small table for two beside the open window where the last bits of sunlight streamed in, competing with the candle in the center of the table.

Fairy lights were strung across the rafters and emanated a soft yellow glow that covered everything. Harry beamed over at his date, who was looking rather cautious. "Do you like it?" Draco asked him warily.

"I love it," Harry whispered.

"Just so there's no confusion this time, _I_ planned this," the blonde teased, pulling out Harry's seat for him.

"Good to know," Harry laughed, remembering the fiasco of the garden dinner and glad that such a romantic gesture did actually lurk under the Slytherin's cool exterior.

A bottle of Pinot Noir sat on the table between them and Harry chuckled lightly while Draco poured them each a glass. They sat in slightly awkward – though not uncomfortable –silence while sipping their wine. Harry was unsure what to talk about now that things were official; spending time with Draco had been so easy and natural before, but now he wasn't entirely sure what to say or do.

Draco cleared his throat and rummaged under the table for a minute before pulling out a small package and handing it to Harry with a shy smile. "I got this for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Harry noted, wondering if Draco was always this way on dates or if it had simply been awhile since he'd been on one.

"It's nothing big, I just found it last week and thought you should have it," Draco replied, a slight flush to his cheeks.

Harry tore gently at the glittering silver paper and gasped as he revealed its contents. A small tattered book with a stuffed rabbit on the cover stared back at him. With shaking hands he cracked it open, wondering if he would find what he hoped on the inside cover.

There, in sharp relief on the weathered white page, was the soft black script that Harry had spent years of his childhood memorizing.

'_To my dearest Lily, may the world bestow upon you the most precious of life's gifts, and one day you can pass this along to your little one. _

_Your loving mother, _

_Rose'_

Harry blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes and looked up at his date. "Where did you find it?" he whispered, unable to keep his voice from shaking with emotion. Even though he could never stop himself from picking up copy after copy of the 'Velveteen Rabbit', he always held little hope that he would ever find the exact book he wanted.

Draco looked down at his empty place setting and muttered something unintelligible.

"Pardon?" Harry said, hoping Draco would repeat himself.

"Don't be mad," he started. "Promise me you won't get angry."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "You act as if you killed someone for it."

"Nearly," Draco replied and then shook his head to ward off Harry's look of shock. "I didn't though. They weren't even hurt."

"Who?" Harry asked warily.

Draco sighed. "Just remember that you asked," he said before starting his story at Harry's insistence. "I went to your Aunt and Uncle to see if they remembered where they had taken the book to give myself a starting place at least."

"You went to the Dursley's?" Harry asked incredulously.

"A couple of useless lumps, they are," Draco muttered. "At first they told me to sod off, but then I showed them my wand and the fat one grew pasty and the woman got angry. I wasn't even threatening them – yet – I was just trying to prove that I knew you."

"I doubt they cared," Harry muttered – more to himself than anyone else – entranced with Draco's story.

"They didn't," Draco confirmed. "They were rather difficult, and didn't respond to reason, or to kindness or even to magic."

Harry narrowed his eyes and Draco put his hands up defensively. "I restrained myself," he assured him. "I merely dangled them from the ceiling for a bit and conjured a few large spiders, strictly to scare them: not to bite them," he quickly added.

Harry tried to suppress a laugh but couldn't. The idea of his nasty relatives dangling in the air with giant spiders after them was too priceless an image. "So they eventually gave in did they?"

"No," Draco muttered, clearly still upset over it. "After awhile they lost consciousness and I was just left there wondering what to do when another fat lard came into the house and started flipping out.

"Dudley," Harry muttered, still smiling at Draco's tale.

"Right. Well, he was actually nice enough once I explained I was a friend of yours, and he told me that your Aunt only pretended to get rid of the book. She'd kept it all along, the cunt. But anyhow, your cousin went up and got it for me, and voila," he announced, gesturing to the book Harry held in his hands.

Harry smiled warmly and pulled Draco across the table into a deep kiss. He'd never had anyone go to so much trouble for him before, and it made his stomach flutter.

A sharp clearing of the throat made them break apart and Harry looked over to find Teddy standing in the doorway with a silver platter. "Sorry to interrupt but ew," the boy teased.

Draco narrowed his eyes and Teddy hurried over with the platter of food. "Your dinner, sirs," he announced in an overly-dramatic tone and set a plate in front of each man.

"Chicken Kiev with a wild mushroom **demi-glaze**," Draco told Harry when he saw Harry poke at his chicken.

Harry smiled and thanked Teddy, who seemed eager to get out of their way, and then turned his attention to his date. "You've outdone yourself, Draco."

The Slytherin professor blushed slightly and shrugged. "You deserve it after the prat I've been being."

"Still," Harry smiled. "This is really romantic."

Draco smiled across the table at him as they sat with their fingers intertwined; moonlight streaming into their makeshift restaurant and making silvery light play on the side of the blonde's pale face.

It was the perfect night.

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Draco insisted that they land in the front yard even though they kept their brooms in the closet by the back. "I want to make this a proper date, and proper dates end with a kiss on the front step," he cited as the reason for his odd request.

Harry chuckled and followed his lead as they swooped and dove down the lane leading to the lovely cottage at the end. Draco let his broom fall where he landed and took Harry's hand as he walked the brunette up to the door. The Gryffindor professor was obviously trying to suppress a snicker, but Draco was determined to do everything right, it was what Harry deserved, and he would make sure the man wanted for nothing.

His heart was beating erratically, and it seemed to matter very little how silly he knew it was to be nervous at this juncture. He and Harry had kissed several times before this point and never had Draco felt so fluttery before one of those, but as he tucked a lock of raven hair behind his date's ear and pulled Harry close, he felt like he might buzz away like a hummingbird.

Harry's arms were looped casually around his waist, a warm comforting weight on his torso, and his thumbs were making small circles on the small of Draco's back. The touch sent shivers through him and he cupped Harry's jaw and leaned in, pressing their lips together at last.

The kiss was sweet and unrushed, gentle and probing as they took their time exploring one another until they had no more room to breathe. It was perfect, heavenly, like pressing his lips to a cloud, sweet like candy and it made his toes curl up in his boots.

Harry moaned into his mouth and unlatched the door with a flick of his wand. "Would you like to come in?" he purred and Draco melted at the sound of Harry's low seductive voice inviting him in.

"I shouldn't," he replied, intending to be a gentleman on this proper first date.

"But if you don't then my carefully planned dessert will go to waste," Harry whined.

"Well, it would be rude to ruin a perfectly good dessert I suppose," Draco reasoned.

"It would," Harry nodded and winked, pulling Draco roughly into the house and back toward his bedroom.

"I thought you said dessert," Draco said warily as they approached Harry's door and then gasped as he saw the elaborate arrangement inside.

In place of the massive bed that had been in the center of the room before, a deep tub resided, bubbles foaming up and over the edge. Only when Draco walked closer, mesmerized by the sight, did he realize they weren't bubbles at all.

"Whipped cream?" he asked, dipping his finger into the frothy mixture to taste its sweetness.

"It will go great with these," Harry announced, producing a large plate filled with succulent goodies perfect for dipping.

Draco's eyes widened as Harry put the tray down and stalked toward him. Nimble fingers began to pry off buttons while Harry's hot mouth trailed down Draco's neck and chest, making him whimper and back up toward the unusual tub.

He felt a tug at his trousers and he dove for Harry's mouth, sealing it with his own as he tore at Harry's shirt and trousers as well. When they were both divested of all offending garments, Harry took a step back to appreciate the pale angelic body before him, and Draco did the same.

Harry was darkly handsome, sculpted muscle over a taught frame shadowed lightly by patches of obsidian hair. Harry was graceful in his movements as he stalked toward him once again and lightly shoved Draco into the waiting bath. A seductive chuckle escaped Harry's perfectly kissed lips as the whipped cream splashed around the room and coated Draco from head to toe.

Draco beckoned Harry closer, but the Gryffindor shook his head coyly until Draco began to lick the whipped cream from his own fingers. After watching him with clearly growing passion Harry finally joined him in the sweet white bath.

"You know, most of the time a bath is meant to make you clean," Draco noted.

"This one is to get you dirty," Harry pointed out and Draco lost all self-control and pounced on the lovely raven-haired man, kissing along his jaw and lightly biting his bottom lip. The foamy bath around them was slightly cool, but mostly squishy and moist against their bodies, making them slip and slide against one another.

At some point Harry managed to move back to the tray and grabbed a large strawberry, dipped it into the cream and then held it to Draco's lips. He took a generous bite and kissed Harry again once he had swallowed it down, letting the man taste the sweet fruit. They only repeated this a couple times before the plate was completely discarded and the whipped cream began to loose its whip, becoming more of a shallow sticky milk bath and exposing more of their flesh to the open air.

Harry fell on him then, tongue, teeth and hands all scrabbling for a hold on Draco's pale flesh. Draco gasped when Harry's fingers wrapped around his cock, and he automatically thrust forward into the fist he had created. Moaning at the feel of him, Harry stroked Draco's length much too slowly, making Draco writhe beneath him and whimper for more. He'd never had a lover as in-control as Harry was, but then he'd never had a lover as sexy and powerful as Harry either.

The all-consuming pressure was building steadily in spite of Harry's timely movements, and Draco judged by the glint in Harry's green eyes that he knew exactly what he was doing. As soon as he felt a probing finger breach his entrance he _knew_ Harry was fully aware of the affect he had and Draco cried out for him.

Another finger penetrated him and Draco was conflicted over whether to impale himself more fully on the fingers or thrust up into the hand around his prick. Harry didn't let him think on it for long, however, because in the next moment he was moving both hands in synch and making every nerve ending Draco had fire off at once.

"Ah, I love you," Draco groaned, taken over by the moment and Harry paused in his ministrations to lean closer and whisper in Draco's ear.

"Say it again," he asked seductively, his voice a deep purr that reverberated through his entire body.

Draco opened his eyes and gazed into Harry's brilliant green ones. "I love you," he repeated.

Harry shuddered against him and kissed Draco deeply before resuming his task of making Draco come. When he felt Draco tense up however, he shifted away and grinned at him.

Whimpering at the loss of touch, Draco tried to pull him against his body, but Harry only responded for a moment before angling himself against Draco's entrance and pressing inside of him.

Draco inhaled sharply, trying not to fight against the intrusion. It had been a very long time since he'd slept with anyone, and usually he was the top. Harry had a way about him however, that made Draco weak in the knees, and he'd give the man anything in the end. Once Harry's fingers wrapped around his cock again though, what pain there had been fuzzed out with the rest of the world and he found himself rocking into the movement of Harry's large cock inside of him.

"I love you, too," Harry returned as he moved inside of him slowly, building up pressure and pace until both were groaning in pleasure.

After a few short moments the build up became too much however and Draco felt it begin to spill over, a second later he was shouting Harry's name and shuddering his orgasm over the man's hand. Harry came just after, emptying his seed inside of Draco's tight arse and digging his fingertips into his pale stomach.

They collapsed in an extra sticky heap, made worse by the slowly thawing whipped cream that clotted in their hair and clung to their skin. "Now it's time for that other bath," Harry sighed when he could breath to talk.

"What?" Draco asked, words not making the most sense to him at the moment.

"The bath you take to get clean," Harry explained.

"Right," Draco agreed. "We should maybe clean this up before it attracts the worlds largest ants," he teased.

Harry laughed and tugged Draco to his feet. They made their way, slipping and laughing occasionally, to Harry' s bathroom for a nice hot soak.

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Authors Note: Whipped cream bath anyone?


	17. A Job Well Done

Author's Note: So I know I've been MIA on this story for a bit, and I'm dreadfully sorry for that. The fact of it is, I knew the story was winding to a close and I wanted to perfect this final chapter. So thanks to Robert for being my gracious beta through this process! This story has been quite fun and one of my favorites overall. So I'm afraid this is the final chapter. Don't worry too long though, another story is waiting in the wings to take this one's place.

Chapter 17 A Job Well Done

The room that Draco created in the basement of Harry's cottage was small but perfectly suited to their needs. It was, for all intents and purposes, just a room; brick walls, wood beamed ceiling and a polished concrete floor, however, as with most people, it was what was on the inside that counted. Within those four walls resided some of the most powerful wards the world had ever seen, and all of them were attuned to Draco and Harry specifically.

As the men stood an arm's breadth apart, Draco could feel Harry's power trickle over him in the form of hot flames, but he wasn't worried. Not only did he know that Harry was perfectly capable of reeling his powers back himself, but he also knew that -if it came to it- he could utilize the wards and lock Harry's power down at any given moment.

That was the purpose of their training room. It was built as a place for Harry to feel comfortable letting loose and for Draco to remain safe in case anything got out of hand. After the second time Harry accidentally flung his lover roughly to the ground in a training exercise gone wrong, large, downy pillows had been added to the floor. They weren't so much to stop Draco's injuries –those were fairly minor and nothing a small skin rejuvenation spell couldn't handle- but more so that Harry could comfortably kiss said injuries all better.

They trained in the room every evening after leaving Hogwarts, Harry channeling his power into every spell the two could think of; Draco encouraging him with books he had picked up on magic control from the Manor or the school's vast library. There hadn't been a mishap in weeks, and Harry was growing more and more confident every day that he could keep his magic in check and refrain from hurting anyone or even causing the slightest bit of property damage.

"So does this mean we can finally take the wards off the bedroom?" Draco asked as he opened his palm to receive a glowing blue orb Harry had manifested. It flared and cracked like lightning contained in a glass ball. Once Draco's fingers touched it, the orb turned into liquid and flowed over his body like a blanket. The warm buzz of an electrical current coated his skin but didn't hurt him; it simply tickled.

Harry closed his palms and the liquid seeped away from Draco and back to the brunette's hands again. "You're very anxious to get rid of those wards aren't you?" Harry laughed. He had grown quite used to them over the years but he knew they still made Draco feel a bit ill.

"I just think that if this talk with Teddy goes well and I become a permanent resident that I should have a say," Draco pouted. Harry smiled and, with a flick of his wrist and a nonverbal spell, he had an armful of a very satisfied blonde.

"You have a say _now_," he whispered. "If you want them down, I'll take them down. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"We'll wait until Minerva tests you and see what she has to say," Draco reasoned wisely. It would only be another week after all, and they could seek her advice about the wards when they went to see her.

They had been keeping a low profile at school, and, somehow, exaggerations of their new relationship hadn't made it to the rumor mill yet. Some of the staff knew, but none of the students did -not even Teddy- they had agreed to keep it between them until summer. Neither of them wanted to put the boy's first year in turmoil, so they reluctantly kept a lid on it. It was hard -especially within the first few weeks when all Harry wanted to do was scoop Draco up and make off to his office with the blonde for more personal attention- but it became easier as they realized there were plenty of nooks and alcoves they could sneak away to for a quick snog without anyone being the wiser.

"That sounds like a good plan," Harry agreed, nodding his head slightly. "School lets out in five days, and I can go see her anytime after that." Minerva had practically –and much to Harry's surprise- squealed like a schoolgirl when presented with the opportunity to help Harry with his control, apparently quite happy her favorite Professor was finally asking for assistance with it. Her only condition was that Harry wait to be tested after the students left –purely a precautionary measure, of course.

"I'm a little nervous about Teddy's reaction," Draco admitted, snuggling in closer to Harry's neck. The house he'd commissioned had finally been finished so, if worst came to worst with Teddy, it wouldn't be an inconvenience to move out; truthfully, though, he wanted to stay there with Harry. He'd never been so happy as he was waking up in his lover's arms every morning. However, he knew it might take time for Teddy to get used to the idea; he wasn't going to force himself into the boy's life.

Harry sighed and pushed a lock of hair behind Draco's ear. "We'll just have to see, won't we?" He was nervous as well. He didn't want to be forced to chose between Teddy -who was as close to his own son as it could get- and Draco -who was hands down the love of his life. When everything was said and done, both men knew that Teddy would be out of the house –living on his own- in a few years. If things didn't go well today, though, neither Harry nor Draco was too keen on keeping the truth from the boy and kindling their relationship in secret. Harry, personally, wanted desperately for them all to be one big happy family, but that all hinged on Teddy wanting that, too.

They knew this weekend could be their last together. School would let out on Tuesday and they would need to have a talk with Teddy after they picked him up from his last day at Hogwarts.

"So what are you going to say?" Draco asked, pulling back and tugging Harry upstairs. It seemed they were finished with training today, so he wanted to be someplace more comfortable than the underground room.

"Well, he seemed agreeable before he left for school, but I don't know how much of that was him honestly wanting us together and how much of it was him playing along with a joke. Every time he's mentioned us as a couple it's been in jest. I'm not sure if he'll want to cope with two fathers watching over him at school as he becomes a teenager," Harry replied with a wince, recalling how suffocated he would sometimes feel when the staff and friends took it upon themselves to 'watch out for him'.

"I just don't want him to feel like I'm taking you over… although, come to think of it, that's definitely a part of my plan," Draco practically purred in Harry's ear.

Harry chuckled and kissed his lover on the cheek. "We'll make this work no matter what Teddy says. If he's not okay with you living here right away, we'll just have to date on the sly while you warm up that new house and Teddy gets used to the idea of us as a couple. It will be fine either way, I'm sure."

With a sigh, Draco nodded. The two men finished the afternoon in comfortable companionship, both acutely aware that this could be one of the last of such afternoons for a long time to come.

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The time for school hours to end and summer vacation to begin approached faster than either Harry or Draco would have liked. One day melted into the next and -before they realized it- the time to sit Teddy down and have a talk about their future together was at hand. They waited patiently on the platform as Teddy bid his friends farewell and watched them board the Hogwarts Express back to Kings Cross Station. Harry took note that the boy received no less that four lingering hugs from various girls in his class, chuckling under his breath.

"Holy Merlin, that boy is going to be a handful," Harry remarked playfully.

"You think the hugs are bad," Draco commented, noting Harry's observations, "I saw little Susana Sanchez pinning him to the wall outside the Greenhouses this morning. Three guesses what they were up to, and I'll give you a hint, they weren't arguing," he added cheekily.

Harry shook his head in mock dismay but could hardly contain his laughter as he imagined his Godson being happily molested by a girl three years older than him. "Clearly he hasn't inherited Lupin's sense of decency."

"No, he's inherited Nymphadora's boldness, for sure," the Potions Master replied. "Let's just hope he's inherited at least one of his parents' open-mindedness."

Harry sighed; his smile faltering slightly as he realized it could all crumble in a few short hours. Teddy was his responsibility though, and the young Slytherin boy came first. Even now Harry had to hide his affection for Draco from the world. Having an open romance with the Potions professor at work was unprofessional at best, so they stood there side-by-side and took constant care never to directly touch on another. Perhaps if the relationship progressed into something more they would become more physical in public, though they'd definitely never be caught groping one another outside the Greenhouses for all to see.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station, Teddy hung back on the platform waving at the train full of students who would be too far way now to be able to see him any longer. Once the train took the first bend in the tracks and disappeared, the boy turned to his Godfather with a slight pout.

"Will I get to see any of them over the summer?" he asked as he made his way over to where Harry and Draco stood.

"I'm sure we can arrange a visit or two," Harry promised, tossing his arm over Teddy's shoulder and leading the small group away from Hogsmeade Station and back toward the house.

The three walked in relative silence through the small town. Several of the shops closed over the summer and owners were already putting signs in their windows to alert the public that they would reopen in the fall. When their homey cottage was in sight, Harry ruffled his Godson's hair. "Draco and I have something to discuss with you when we get inside."

Teddy looked curiously back and forth between the men's serious faces, clearly wondering what awful news the pair had. "Er… okay," he replied at last.

Once inside, both men paced in the living room while Teddy sat nervously on the sofa. "Would one of you just spit it out?" he demanded. "Am I in some kind of trouble? I swear that thing with Clarissa was all her idea."

Harry disguised his curious grin with a stern narrowing of the eyes and turned his attention back on Teddy. "Care to elaborate? I know all about a Susana, a Trisha, a Blaire and a Laura, but I've yet to hear of a Clarissa."

Teddy promptly shut his mouth and looked down at his shoes. "It was nothing," he muttered at last when Harry continued to stare down at him.

Draco fidgeted beside Harry and looked as though he wanted to clutch the other man's hand but knew it would be unwise before their announcement. Finally he took a seat in the armchair furthest from Teddy and began pulling at the edges of his robes to try and distract himself.

"Wait a minute… where is Grandma?" Teddy asked suddenly, his voice thick with panic. "I just saw her last week, did something happen?"

"No!" Harry and Draco nearly shouted in unison. "Andromeda's fine. She's visiting with my Mother," Draco assured Teddy.

With a sigh, Teddy nodded and sunk into his chair a little. "Then what is it?"

Harry took a deep breath and let it out very slowly before lowering himself to his knees in front of where Teddy sat. "This talk is about the three of us," Harry began, taking his Godson's hand within his own. "Draco and I have started dating, and I'd like him to come live here with us."

"But only if that's what you want, too," Draco quickly amended. "I don't want to impose if it makes you uncomfortable or anything like that…" the blonde quickly and forcibly shut himself up, realizing that he was starting to ramble.

"So what, both you and Draco are a serious couple now?" Teddy asked skeptically. "Last I heard you were fighting."

"We were fighting about _not_ being a couple, but yes, Harry and I are together now. We're happy and we love each other," Draco told the boy, even though Teddy's question had been directed at Harry.

Teddy looked to Harry, who nodded in confirmation. "Draco's house is done now, but I'd prefer it if he continued to live here. We could be a big happy family."

Harry felt as though he'd never sweated so much in his life. Somehow this tiny, eleven-year-old boy seemed more ominous in that moment than Voldemort ever did. With one word, Teddy could put his relationship with Draco on the shelf for future examination or allow them to be happy together. He didn't have time to dwell on it too long though, because a moment later he was knocked backward to the ground with Teddy's arms clutched tightly around his neck.

Before Harry could react, however, the boy was gone and hugging Draco just as tightly before he began bounding up and down on the sofa he had calmly occupied just moments before. "This is great!" he exclaimed. "I'll have the best two dads in the world! Harry can make us dessert every night, and Draco can teach me potions, and we can all go flying together!"

Draco sighed with relief and took Harry's hand at last while his boyfriend watched Teddy's display with an amused smile. When things calmed and Teddy fell back into the seat of his chair Draco and Harry both squashed in on either side of him.

"It's not always going to be fun and games," Draco warned lightly. "You'll still have rules to follow and when we're at school we're still going to be your professors. None of that goes out the window now that Harry and I are together."

"I know," Teddy replied with a satisfied nod.

"And we'll still fight sometimes, Draco and I," Harry added. "We won't always get along but we'll still look after your best interest no matter what."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "I'm not worried about it. If you two fight I'll just force you to kiss and make up," he added with a cheeky grin.

"Is that what you and Susana were doing by the Greenhouses?" Draco asked and the boy's face instantly turned Weasley red.

"She just sort of attacked me," he tried, but Draco wasn't buying it.

"Mmhmm," he scoffed and they all chuckled a bit before Teddy leaned his head against Harry's chest.

"This is going to be great," Teddy announced confidently.

"I think so, too," Harry whispered, staring across Teddy's head into Draco's piercing gray eyes and warm smiling face.

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"It's official," announced Andromeda as she levitated items into one of several boxes nearby. "Draco has sold his house."

"How do you know?" Narcissa asked. "I've been asking him about it for weeks."

"Because I bought it!" she replied happily. "We agreed on a price this morning and I'll be moving in this weekend. It's close, but not too close, big but not too big –just perfect for little ol' me."

"I thought you wanted to travel?" Narcissa interjected.

"I do, and I will, but first things first. I need to get out of the boys hair. Summer is nearly over and I'm certain the lovebirds will want the cottage all to themselves without having to worry that Aunt Andromeda will pop in on their love-making in the living room," she teased.

"They don't really do that, do they?" Narcissa asked with a rosy blush to which both Andromeda and Minerva responded with smirking glances.

"That and more," Minerva whispered. "Why by the end of the school year I had caught them groping one another behind one of the armored knights on the seventh floor –twice!"

The other women snickered softly and continued to gossip. "So, you'll be living all by yourself in the grand manor?" Narcissa asked her sister, changing the subject again.

"You're welcome to join me, Cissy. Minnie is, she'll be staying there during the summers so as not to have to remain in that lonely dank castle," she noted and Minerva nodded in agreement.

"It is rather cold at the Manor lately," Narcissa mused. "I'll think on it."

They remained silent for a few moments, Narcissa and Minerva sipping their tea as their friend continued to pack. "We've done well, ladies," Minerva boasted as she looked out at the three boys playing flying tag in the yard. "They all seem happier than ever."

"I've never seen Draco so content," Narcissa admitted.

"Teddy's ecstatic and Harry's back to baking again, which means his spirits have lightened as well. I heard he passed the test Minnie gave him for his magic control with flying colors. He's a very powerful boy, but it seems he's learned to harness it."

"Harry did even better than I could have ever expected given the aftermath of some of his earlier demonstrations of magic," Minerva confirmed. "He never faltered even once."

They continued to gaze out the windows at the laughing boys and smiled proudly. "I think this will be a permanent match," Andromeda mused.

"I think Draco provides a balance Harry had been missing all along," Narcissa observed.

"And if things sour we can always begin scheming again," Minerva offered with a wink. "But something tells me that won't be necessary."

The women sighed and gathered by the window, watching as Harry tried to pull a scrap of shimmering blue fabric from either Draco or Teddy's waist while they zipped and twirled around him. Joy was painted on all of their faces and when Harry finally caught Draco's tag, the men kissed in mid-flight while Teddy laughed and flew to the ground. "Can I invite Elton over?" he asked when the other two men landed.

"Sure. It's the last weekend of the summer, we can make a night of it," Harry replied. "I'll go start the pie while Draco takes you inside to make the floo call."

"What kind are we having tonight?" Draco asked, looping his arm around his boyfriend's waist.

"Triple berry spice," Harry responded, "and I'm saving some of the berries for later," he added with a wink. Draco just grinned and smacked Harry on the arse before following Teddy inside.

"Yes, I think our work here is done," Andromeda sighed and her two friends agreed wholeheartedly.

Author's note: I thought ending it with our plotting ladies was most appropriate. You may even see these three pop up again in future tales, I loved them so much. Next story to look out for is called Forgotten not Forgiven, which will begin posting shortly.


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